Friday, November 30, 2012

Liverpool and Chelsea Linked With Transfer Move For Dutch Defender

Liverpool has joined Chelsea in the race to sign Dutch defender Stefan de Vrij.

The 20-year-old centre back is out of contract at Feyenoord in 2014 and is unwilling to commit beyond that point despite holding the captain’s armband at De Kuip, according to The Daily Mail.

The paper goes on to claim that Liverpool are now on the trail of the player, with manager Brendan Rodgers in the market to add a centre back at Anfield.

Sebastian Coates is attracting interest from Italy, the report claims, and the former Nacional starlet could be replaced by De Vrij on Merseyside. Any new addition at the back would provide competition for Daniel Agger, Martin Skrtel and Jamie Carragher.

Liverpool isn’t the only Premier League club interested in the two-cap Holland international however, with the Blues also linked.

The Metro claimed earlier in the week that Chelsea were leading other English clubs in their pursuit of the player, and were ‘believed to be ready’ to table a £5 million offer for a player who has turned down two new contract offers with the Eredivisie outfit.

Rafael Benitez has taken the reigns at Stamford Bridge on an interim basis following the sacking of Roberto Di Matteo, and it’s unclear how much control of the purse string the Spaniard will have in the January transfer window.

That hasn’t stopped De Vrij being linked with a move to west London however, and he’d compete with David Luiz, John Terry, Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic for a place in the Chelsea side.

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