Reports in Spain are sensationally claiming Real Madrid has turned down the chance to sign Virgil van Dijk in the summer.

As things stand, the Liverpool captain will be available as a free agent as his contract expires at the end of the current season. Van Dijk, along with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah, is now able to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club should he wish to do so, although he remains in talks with Liverpool.

Recent reports suggested the defender had agreed a new three-year deal at Anfield, although they look to have been wide of the mark, with still no sign as of yet that Van Dijk - or his teammates - are close to putting pen to paper again with the Reds.

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The headlines at the moment are being dominated by Real’s pursuit of Alexander-Arnold, although if the latest claims coming out of Spain are to be believed, the Bernabeu club could have also had the chance to sign Van Dijk as well.

According to Relevo, the 33-year-old’s agents contacted Real chiefs to inform them of his willingness to make the move to Madrid at the end of his contract at Liverpool.

The Spanish giant is said to be looking to reinforce its defensive options, having suffered from a number of high-profile injuries at the back this season - one of the reasons why they seem to be making a move for Alexander-Arnold now, rather than wait until the summer.

However, Real is claimed to have rejected the chance to sign Van Dijk on the basis of his age and other conditions, instead choosing to look at other options that are better suited to them. What’s more, it’s suggested that the defender is close to signing a new deal at Liverpool.

Liverpool.com says: That’s a pretty wild claim to make. Of course, if Van Dijk is to leave Liverpool, you would hope that it would only be for a club of a similar or maybe even higher stature, which Real would fit, but we can’t see him making the move to the Bernabeu at this stage in his career.

Hopefully the claim that he’s close to a new deal at Anfield proves to be the case, although there have been plenty of similar suggestions recently that have proved to be wide of the mark. We’ll believe it when we see it.