Pundit explains why Liverpool star might be tempted by Real Madrid or Barcelona transfer

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Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk made it into the Premier League team of the season on BBC Sport, with pundit Garth Crooks singing his praises.

Still, with that praise came a warning, with the BBC pundit suggesting that Van Dijk might now be tempted to seek a move to one of the two giants of Spanish football – Real Madrid or Barcelona – now that he has won all there is to win at Anfield.

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The Netherlands international has played a starring role in helping Liverpool win the Champions League last season and the Premier League this term, and Crooks points out that he could play a big role at either the Bernabeu or the Nou Camp.

Real need a long-term successor for long-serving club captain Sergio Ramos, while Gerard Pique is also ageing and perhaps past his peak for Barca.

Van Dijk is just the kind of big name those two giants of La Liga like to sign, and Crooks seemed to send a little warning about this possibility in his column.

Virgil van Dijk in action for Liverpool

“Van Dijk has come a long way since his days at Southampton but fulfilled all the enormous promise he showed when he was at St Mary’s,” Crooks said.

“The question is, what now? Sergio Ramos is coming to the end of his career at Real Madrid and so is Gerard Pique at Barcelona. I wonder if Liverpool will be enough to satisfy Van Dijk’s ambitions?”

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