Jose Fonte says he wouldn't be surprised if Virgil van Dijk joined Real Madrid in the summer. The former Portugal defender, who partnered with Van Dijk at the back for Southampton, reckons his former team-mate would "thrive" at the Bernabeu too. Van Dijk's Liverpool contract expires at the end of the season, and although the Dutchman has admitted he wants to stay, no agreement has been reached over an extension thus far - leaving his future up in the air.

Despite being 33, Van Dijk is still among the best defenders in the game, and his departure would significantly weaken Arne Slot's team. Contract talks appear to have stalled, as they have with Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who have also entered the final few months of their respective deals. Should Van Dijk leave, Fonte believes he'll slot effortlessly into another of Europe's top teams. "Virgil van Dijk would thrive at Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich and I wouldn't be shocked to see him at one of those clubs next season," Fonte told BoyleSports.

"Those clubs will be looking for defenders that are as reliable as Van Dijk and they will all be looking if he gets to the end of the season without signing a contract," Fonte added. "He can still perform at the highest level and he has shown he can take care of himself. He will have no problem continuing at the highest level for another three or four years. "Even if Van Dijk loses a bit of pace, he won't be slow. He will get even better in his positioning and his anticipation. He is undoubtedly one of the best defenders in the history of football.".

If the Dutch defender moves to Real Madrid, there's an increasingly strong chance he'll be teaming up with Alexander-Arnold next season. According to reports, the Liverpool full-back has verbally agreed to join Los Blancos when his contract expires. Fonte and Van Dijk were centre-back partners for two seasons at St Mary's Stadium. They initially joined up in 2015 when Van Dijk joined the club from Celtic and were eventually separated when Fonte moved to West Ham in 2017.

It didn't take long for Van Dijk to follow his former team-mate out the door. A year-and-a-half later, Liverpool came calling and made him the most expensive defender in the world by signing him for £75million. In the years since Van Dijk has made over 300 appearances for the Reds. He's also won seven major honours, including the Premier League in 2020 and the Champions League in 2019. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.