Liverpool Eye Finn Jeltsch as Potential Virgil van Dijk Successor

Liverpool has a good set of central defenders currently at the club, whether that’s the experience of captain Virgil van Dijk or the youthful excitement surrounding Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni.

But with Van Dijk being 35 years old, and in the last year of his current deal at the Reds, and the only other senior defender at the club being the injury-prone Joe Gomez, LFC are one or maybe two centre-backs short.

The solution could be playing in the Bundesliga for a Champions League side, but it might be a name that you know little about.

Graduating from the FC Nürnberg academy, he made his debut for the senior side during the 2023/24 season, playing 13 times in Bundesliga 2 aged just 17.

He would carry this on going into the next campaign, upping his game time massively and quickly becoming a key player for the second-tier outfit.

This form was bound to earn the young German defender a move into the Bundesliga, and it was VfB Stuttgart that took the risk on the Germany U21 international, signing him for a reported £8 million in February 2025.

He has since only got better playing against elite-level opponents in the German top flight.

Like his early days at FC Nürnberg, Jeltsch started as a bit-part player, but over time has shown his importance to the VfB Stuttgart team, and he is now an established first-team regular for a side that is playing in the UEFA Champions League this season.

Key attributes include elite press resistance, with his ball-carrying ability able to break lines in a similar way to ex-Liverpool defender Joel Matip.

Furthermore, he is well accustomed to playing in a defence that deploys a high line and is often jumping forward onto opposition midfielders to help his side win the ball back high up the pitch and counter.

These skills would fit perfectly into an Andoni Iraola system, given the number of times we have seen Virgil van Dijk, despite his age and a lack of raw sprint speed, jump forward and act as a defensive midfielder at times for the Reds so far this season.

According to SPORT, a Spanish publication, FC Barcelona are interested in signing Finn Jeltsch from VfB Stuttgart, with the Catalan head coach already having given his approval of the signing.

But the report goes on to highlight that Barcelona will not be alone in their pursuit of the 20-year-old, with Real Madrid and Liverpool both looking at the player, with it being said that the Reds would be willing to pay around £43 million for the young prospect.

Comment Below: Do You Want To See Liverpool Make A Move For Finn Jeltsch Next Summer?