All it had taken to push the deal over the line was a formal apology to his former club, a little patience and $100 million. The move — which will be finalized on Monday, when Europe’s winter transfer window opens — will make van Dijk the most expensive defender in soccer history by some distance. The previous record, set by Benjamin Mendy’s move from Monaco to Manchester City over the summer, stood at $72.3 million. Klopp identified van Dijk last season as his top defensive reinforcement. Despite doubts over the reliability of his current defensive roster — Dejan Lovren, Joel Matip and Ragnar Klavan — and interest in van Dijk from both Manchester City and Chelsea, Klopp persuaded Liverpool’s owner, the Fenway Sports Group, that he wanted van Dijk and nobody else.

Source: New York Times December 28, 2017 00:00 UTC