It looks like we have quickly moved away from the Virgil van Dijk saga, as we are moving closer towards signing Stefan de Vrij from Lazio. The club have quickly shifted attention towards the 25-year-old after admitting defeat in the pursuit of Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk.

Liverpool were ready to spend big money for the Dutch defender, but it looks like we will now be spending a similar amount of money on another Dutch defender. Stefan de Vrij has claimed that he wants to quit Lazio after an official offer from Liverpool, according to Corriere dello Sport (H/t Birmingham Mail)

The 25-year-old is now the primary target for the club, and Liverpool are hoping to take advantage of the player having just 12 months left on his contract. It has been reported that Liverpool have made a £17.2million offer for the Dutch defender. This is substantially lower than his valuation of around £30million.

Manager Jurgen Klopp has made it a priority to sign a centre-back this summer, as it was a problematic area for the club in the 2016-17 campaign. A move for Stefan de Vrij would represent a major arrival at Anfield. Liverpool have already signed the talented Dominic Solanke on a free transfer, with the compensation fee expected to be around £3million.

Lazio had a reasonably successful season after the team managed to finish in the Europa League qualification places by finishing 5th in the league table. Even though the team had the poorest defensive record – conceding 51 league goals – among the top 7 of the Italian Serie A, it looks like the performances of De Vrij have caught the eye of Liverpool.

De Vrij came to Italy from Feyenoord in the summer of 2014. Metro Reports that Lazio may be ready to sell the player at around £30million, but Liverpool are unlikely to stretch their offer for the player, who will be available for free in just 12 months from now.

De Vrij would surely be a shrewd piece of business just like that of Dominic Solanke and I hope we get the deal done as quickly as possible.