The Liverpool captain continues to attract attention in Italy, with Juventus now being mentioned as a potential destination, but the financial reality of any deal remains a major obstacle.

Flashscore sources believe the Juve speculation has echoes of previous links between Van Dijk and AC Milan.

The overriding issue remains his salary, with insiders questioning how Juventus could make the financial package work and suggesting a move is not currently realistic. 

Van Dijk earns around £350,000 a week at Liverpool and his contract is due to expire in June 2027, meaning this season could potentially be his final one at Anfield.

AC Milan have been consistently linked with the 35-year-old, but concerns over affordability have remained whenever the possibility of a move to Italy has been raised.

That might not be the case to quite the same extent with Real Madrid.

The Spanish giants have now begun to be linked with Van Dijk and their recent approach to recruiting experienced Liverpool defenders makes the speculation difficult to ignore.

Real Madrid signed Trent Alexander-Arnold as his Liverpool contract wound down and also added Ibrahima Konate in similar fashion. That makes Van Dijk an intriguing potential fit for a club that has shown a willingness to target Liverpool players in this way.

Van Dijk has been at Liverpool since joining from Southampton for £75 million in January 2018 and has gone on to become one of the defining figures of the club's recent era.

With his contract entering its final season, the possibility of this being his last campaign at Liverpool is becoming increasingly relevant to the transfer picture.

For now, though, the Juventus links remain difficult to substantiate given the financial demands involved.