According to the latest reports, Liverpool are ready to begin negotiations with Besiktas for the transfer of Domagoj Vida. The 29-year-old has managed to draw attention from a host of European outfits and is currently being valued at £26.8m by the Turkish outfit. West Ham United have already seen their £20m offer get rejected as competition continues to build over the Croatian defender.
Vida performed at his very best to help Croatia reach the final of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He paired up with Liverpool’s Dejan Lovren at the Blazers backline and contributed with a crucial goal and an assist on the offensive end. The duo’s formidable partnership helped solidify Croatia’s backline and is worth reuniting at the club level.
Vida is tied to Besiktas until the summer of 2022, since making his switch to the Turkish outfit only this January from Dinamo Kiev. The centre-back started his professional career with Osijek and then was transferred off to Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2010. He played a single season with the Bundesliga outfit during which he made 8 Europa League appearances and just 1 in the league.
Dinamo Zagreb signed him in June 2011 and featured him in 68 of the club’s games. Vida registered 8 goals over the two seasons spent with Zagreb before moving on to Dynamo Kiev ahead of the 2013/14 campaign.
He has racked up 13 goals and 8 assists in a staggering 160 appearances for Kiev. Even without a decorated resume of playing in a few of Europe’s elite leagues, Vida has always been heavily involved with his national side. He played in 33 games for Croatia at various youth levels and now has 65 caps for the senior national side.
Vida’s primary position is that of a centre-back but he is capable of appearing from the wide positions as well. Standing at 6 feet tall, the Yugoslavia-born player is known for his enthusiastic challenges and aerial abilities in the opposition box. He is not scared to put his body on the line.
The Croatian has enough top-flight experience to finally make his way over to the Premier League. His connection with Lovren should favour a switch to Merseyside but there are some doubts over his regular involvement with the Reds first team.
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Jurgen Klopp already has the world’s most expensive defender in Virgil van Dijk. He also has the likes of Lovren, Joel Matip, Ragnar Klavan and Joe Gomez in the squad. Vida will have to face heavy competition for a starting berth if the Reds’ make a move for him and can bring him in.
