Virgil van Djik admitted that Liverpool are always searching for "quality" arrivals - a matter of hours before the Reds agreed a deal for Netherlands teammate Cody Gakpo on Monday evening.
The 29-year-old was speaking after the Reds' 3-1 win over Aston Villa on Boxing Day as Jurgen Klopp's side returned to winning ways after the Carabao Cup defeat at Manchester City. Goals from Mohamed Salah, Van Djik and Stefan Bajetic earned a much-needed three points for Liverpool at a hostile Villa Park.
However, all the headlines were stolen after the game when it was confirmed that Liverpool had struck a deal with PSV for 23-year-old Gakpo in January. Manchester United were linked with a move for the forward, but Klopp's men hijacked the transfer and chose to move fastest to bring him to Anfield.
In his pre-match interview, Van Djik hinted that Liverpool could be in line to sign some new players, and then a couple of hours later, a deal was reportedly struck. The Dutch defender played with Gakpo at the Qatar World Cup before his nation was knocked out in the quarter-final by Argentina.
He said: "Hopefully the injured players can come back soon, and hopefully we can welcome some new players at our football club. We will see, I think that quality is always welcome at Liverpool."
PSV general manager Marcel Brands announced the news on the club's website that Gakpo would be moving to Merseyside upon the start of the winter transfer window for a deal worth £45million.
A statement read: "PSV and Liverpool FC have reached an agreement on the upcoming transfer of Cody Gakpo. The 23-year-old attacker will immediately leave for England where he will undergo the necessary formalities to complete the transfer. Both clubs are not making any announcements about the transfer fee." Brands added: "But this is a record transfer for PSV."
Gakpo started his senior career at Jong PSV, the club's reserve side, before working his way up and cementing his place in the first-team set-up in 2019. He has since chipped in with an impressive 55 goals in 159 appearances and helped PSV reach the quarter-final of the Europa Conference League last campaign.
Now, it is understood Gakpo is set to join the Reds and Van Djik also spoke about the talented attacker following Netherlands' win over USA at the World Cup. Erik ten Hag was very keen on bringing Gakpo to Old Trafford, before Liverpool hijacked the move.
"Are Manchester United and Real Madrid on the same level?" Van Dijk said previously when discussing Gakpo's future. "No disrespect, not at all. I definitely think he has that next step in him. I feel like it could happen, whether that is in the winter or the summer or next year, time will tell.
"He is a great boy who works hard, very talented and there is more in him. We are so pleased he is doing so well for us. Long may it continue."
