Barcelona defense has been an issue for the club for a while now. The club has been linked with an array of defenders in an attempt to strengthen their back four and at one point this summer, turned to Virgil Van Dijk.
This is according to John Cross of the Mirror. He writes the Spanish giants reached out the player's representitives and "made enquiries about whether Virgil van Dijk could be tempted to leave Liverpool".
The reasons are obvious. The 28-year-old has risen to become the hottest defender in world football at the moment. Gone are the days when people were questioning the Reds for spending a whopping $94M to sign him from Southampton, making him the most expensive defender in history.
The Dutchman played was a key figure in Liverpool's successful 2018/19 campaign. Despite finishing second in the Premier League, Klopp's men set several records and missed out on the title by an inch, with Van Dijk being named the PFA Player of the Year.
Shortly afterwards, the Merseyside giants were crowned the champions of Europe, with the commanding figure keeping a clean sheet in the 2-0 Champions League final victory over Tottenham.
As a result, the center-back is now the favorite to win the 2019 Ballon d'Or as he aims to become the first defender since Fabio Cannavaro. Many clubs would die to have him but given his response to Barcelona's approach, none will be acquiring his services anytime soon.
Van Dijk's agent gave no attention to the Blaugrana's approach and the Catalan giants made no further enquiries. This means he will continue shutting down attackers at Anfield for the near future.
