As his contract was winding down, Marca says agents for Van Dijk, 34, offered the Dutchman to Real Madrid.
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The move came BEFORE it broke publicly that Trent Alexander-Arnold had committed to Real Madrid as his Liverpool deal was running down.
After learning that Real were seeking a younger centre-half signing, Van Dijk quickly abandoned the idea and returned to the negotiating table with Liverpool ahead of signing a new deal to 2027.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, would swoop for Dean Huijsen from Bournemouth to solve their centre-back search.