Van Dijk urges Liverpool to sign 'quality' players as Barcola pursuit stalls with one week left

Virgil van Dijk has publicly backed Liverpool’s recruitment drive in the final week of the summer window, insisting he has ‘full trust’ in the club to make the right signings — as manager Andoni Iraola continues to chase a marquee winger before Monday’s 11pm deadline.

Speaking after Liverpool’s 2-2 draw at Newcastle on Sunday, the Reds captain made clear that both he and his team-mates share responsibility for improving on what he described as a ‘very unacceptable’ campaign last season, but acknowledged that new arrivals would be welcomed by the squad.

“Everyone wants to see quality arrive regardless,” Van Dijk said. “I fully trust the club and the board to make the right decisions, that’s the only thing I can say. Let’s see what they do.”

Liverpool have made just one permanent signing this summer in Victor Munoz. Ronald Araujo has arrived on loan from Barcelona, and a £60m deal for Jeremy Jacquet was agreed with Rennes back in February, but Iraola’s primary target — Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola — remains out of reach. PSG are demanding £145m for the France international, a figure Liverpool are unwilling to meet.

The club turned their attention to Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh as an alternative, but saw two bids rejected last week, the most recent worth £60m. With the window closing on Monday, Iraola has promised supporters the squad will ‘definitely’ be strengthened before the deadline.

Van Dijk was careful to frame the challenge as an internal one as much as a recruitment issue, stressing that the players themselves must drive the improvement.

“Last year it was very unacceptable, but that was last year,” he said. “I don’t want to talk about that — we are looking forward and looking to improve. Hopefully, next week it will be very close to what [Iraola] wants us to do.”

The Dutchman also pushed back against any suggestion of panic following the opening-day draw at St James’ Park, urging calm as Iraola beds in his methods on the training ground.

“It is so early in the season that if we start panicking regardless of what could have happened today then we won’t be in a good place,” Van Dijk added. “It is down to us to make sure we improve quickly.”

Liverpool return to Premier League action on Saturday when they host Nottingham Forest at Anfield.