US$1M, bayad kay Van Dijk

-- Inilahad ng Liverpool sa kasaysayan ng pro football si Virgil van Dijk ng Southampton bilang pinakamahal na defender nang palagdain ng kontrata na nagkakahalaga ng US$100 milyon.

“Delighted and honored to have agreed to become a Liverpool FC player,” pahayag ni Van Dijk sa kanyang mensahe sa Instagram kasama ang larawan na tangan niya ang jersey sa bagong koponan na lalaruan niya simula sa Enero 1.

“Today is a proud day for me and my family as I join one of the biggest clubs in world football!. I can’t wait to pull on the famous red shirt for the first time in front of the Kop and will give everything I have to try and help this great club achieve something special in the years to come,” aniya.

Ang transfer fee na tatanggapin ng Southampton ay £70 million (US$94 million) na posibleng umabot sa £75 million (US$100 million) depensa ang magiging kampanya ni Van Dijk sa Liverpool.

Nalagpasan ng kontrata ni Van Dijk ang dating record na pinakamalaking suweldo para sa defender. Sa Manchester City ng English Premier League, pinalagda nila ng kontrata sina Benjamin Mendy at Kyle Walker ng tig-50 million pounds.

Sa kabila nito, nananatili naman si Neymar bilang world’s most expensive player sa nakuhang 222 million euros sa Paris Saint-Germain ng Barcelona.

“There is a dearth of top-class center backs throughout world football hence why so many clubs wanted (Van Dijk) and the transfer fee is so high,” pahayag ni Liverpool center back Jamie Carragher.

“People will look at the transfer (fee) that normally strikers go for, but as with any transfer fee if he performs well and does his job it will be worth it.”