Now, hold your horses before anybody shouts “record deal”: not one SVC has been offered for Virgil van Dijk.

Liverpool have listed their 35-year-old centre-back with a 130,000,000 SVC minimum bid. That is an asking price — not a bid, an agreed fee or money heading into Liverpool’s account.

The live auction still shows an empty bid list, no high bidder, no deadline and has not started. Nobody has made the opening move.

The hidden 25.69M cut

The Times found this is Liverpool’s second attempt.

• 5 July: Van Dijk listed for 155,689,281 SVC
• 16 July: A new listing appeared at 130,000,000 SVC
• Reduction: 25,689,281 SVC, or 16.5%
• Bids across both listings: Zero

The current price has now sat untouched for nearly 17 days. Liverpool first put him on the market almost 28 days ago.

And the arithmetic is fierce. Van Dijk’s game value is 12,974,106.83 SVC, making the present ask 10.02 times that figure — a premium of roughly 902%. The 130M demand is also 15.1% larger than Liverpool’s own 112.91M cash balance.

Five-point fall — but still performing

Van Dijk’s player history records a rating of 98 in January before the latest update took him to 93 on 4 July. Liverpool’s first listing followed about 41 hours later.

That timing does not prove the downgrade triggered the listing, but it is vital market context. The Dutch defender remains a 93-rated centre-back with 93 tackling and 86 passing.

He has also delivered this season: two league starts, 180 minutes, a 7.5 average rating, one clean sheet, one assist and one player-of-the-match award. Liverpool are unbeaten after four matches and sit third in ENG Division 1 with 10 points.

Any buyer must balance that output against his age, 81 fitness, 510,420 SVC wage and nine-figure entry price. Liverpool, meanwhile, retain 27-year-old Ibrahima Konaté as a 92-rated central option.

Liverpool’s 250M double sale sign

Van Dijk is not the only 93-rated veteran being offered at a premium. Mohamed Salah Hamed is also listed by Liverpool for 120M SVC without a bid.

Together, their asking prices total 250M SVC against combined game values of 27.39M — a 9.13-times multiple.

That is a double sale sign, not a double deal. For now, there is no 130M Van Dijk transfer to announce — only a lowered price tag and a market keeping its hands firmly in its pockets.