Liverpool broke record with January transfer for £75million star Man Utd snubbed signing

Liverpool signed a player during the January transfer window who would go on to become a club legend soon after Manchester United overlooked him

For Liverpool supporters, there are few sweeter moments than getting the better of Manchester United. Throughout the last decade, the pendulum in English football's fiercest rivalry has swung decisively in Liverpool's favour, with Virgil van Dijk's towering influence playing a major role.

The Dutch centre-back joined from Southampton in January 2018 for a club-record £75million - then a world-record sum for a defender - and proceeded to revolutionise the team's defence. Yet astonishingly, he had come close to moving to Old Trafford just months before.

His former Southampton colleague Charlie Austin revealed that Van Dijk was in serious discussions with United during the summer of 2017. However, the Red Devils opted for Victor Lindelof instead, a choice that allowed Liverpool to swoop in.

FOLLOW OUR LIVERPOOL FB PAGE! Latest Reds news and more on our dedicated Facebook page

Recalling a conversation with Van Dijk during his days at Southampton, Austin told talkSPORT in 2022: "I remember at the back end of his Southampton career, we were sitting on the bench together at Chelsea away. I said to him, 'Come on Virgil, what's going on, surely Manchester United must have been in for you? They're a massive club in England.'

"He said, 'Do you know what Chaz, in the summer it was between me and Lindelof - and they went for Lindelof.' Nobody knows that. He told me on the bench and I couldn't believe it. I was gobsmacked."

READ MORE : 'I could've replaced Mo Salah at Liverpool this time last year - now I've hit rock bottom'READ MORE : 'Jurgen Klopp wanted to sign me – Liverpool icon broke down in tears when it didn't happen'

It is a decision that has tormented United in ways the club could barely have envisioned. Not only has Van Dijk flourished spectacularly on Merseyside but he is considered one of the greatest defenders of his era.

Lindelof, in contrast, never quite fulfilled his potential during his eight-year stint at Old Trafford. The Sweden international was consistent but didn't deliver the same commanding presence and defensive solidity as Van Dijk has for Liverpool.

Following their regret of not splashing out on Van Dijk, United proceeded to smash the transfer record for a defender by signing Harry Maguire from Leicester City in 2019. Yet Maguire also failed to match the Liverpool skipper for consistency.

His performances swung dramatically, oscillating from reliable to catastrophic and being branded an expensive transfer mistake. Still at the club, the England international has since rediscovered his footing and partly restored a previously damaged reputation, though he is not held in the same esteem as his Liverpool counterpart.

Van Dijk, meanwhile, has solidly cemented himself as one of Liverpool's finest ever players. He was instrumental in the club's 2018/19 Champions League and 2019/20 Premier League victories and became just the third defender in history to be crowned PFA Player of the Year in 2019.

He also came second in the Ballon d'Or in 2019 and has clocked up well over 300 appearances for the club. He was named club captain in 2023 after Jordan Henderson's departure, guiding the club to a second Premier League title last term.

Click here to read article