Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has once again been linked with a possible move to AC Milan, with Italian journalist Carlo Pellegatti repeating his belief that the Dutch defender could eventually end up at San Siro.
Pellegatti claims that Milan owner Gerry Cardinale had previously considered two possibilities: paying a transfer fee to sign Van Dijk while he was still under contract, or waiting until his Liverpool contract expires and attempting to sign him as a free agent. Pellegatti maintained that he believes Van Dijk will eventually join Milan, although this remains his claim rather than confirmation of a deal.
Van Dijk’s current Liverpool contract is understood to run until the end of the 2026/27 season. Liverpool therefore face a longer-term decision over their captain, who is now 35 but remains an important part of the defence. Liverpool previously ruled out an exit during the 2026 summer window.
The speculation also comes as Liverpool look ahead to life after Van Dijk. The club have several younger centre-backs, including Jérémy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni, while reports have also linked Liverpool with potential future replacements.
One separate report has claimed that Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven could be considered as a possible successor, with a reported potential price of £80m–£90m. That is also transfer speculation rather than a confirmed Liverpool approach.
What it means
For now, Van Dijk remains a Liverpool player and there is no confirmed agreement for him to join AC Milan. The Milan story is based primarily on Pellegatti’s claims about a possible future move, with the summer of 2027 potentially becoming significant because of Van Dijk’s contract situation.
In short: Milan interest is being reported, but a Van Dijk transfer to Milan has not been confirmed.
