The former Portugal defender, who partnered with Van Dijk at the back for Southampton , reckons his former team-mate would "thrive" at the Bernabeu too. Van Dijk's Liverpool contract expires at the end of the season, and although the Dutchman has admitted he wants to stay , no agreement has been reached over an extension thus far - leaving his future up in the air.
Despite being 33, Van Dijk is still among the best defenders in the game, and his departure would significantly weaken Arne Slot's team. Contract talks appear to have stalled, as they have with Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold , who have also entered the final few months of their respective deals. Should Van Dijk leave, Fonte believes he'll slot effortlessly into another of Europe's top teams. He will have no problem continuing at the highest level for another three or four years.
He will get even better in his positioning and his anticipation. He is undoubtedly one of the best defenders in the history of football.
If the Dutch defender moves to Real Madrid, there's an increasingly strong chance he'll be teaming up with Alexander-Arnold next season. According to reports, the Liverpool full-back has verbally agreed to join Los Blancos when his contract expires. They initially joined up in when Van Dijk joined the club from Celtic and were eventually separated when Fonte moved to West Ham in It didn't take long for Van Dijk to follow his former team-mate out the door.
In the years since Van Dijk has made over appearances for the Reds. He's also won seven major honours, including the Premier League in and the Champions League in Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content.
