Ultimately, it’s entirely possible that neither of them are going to be at the club next season. It’s also entirely possible that in two years time none of the club’s current available centre-back options are going to be at Anfield.
Van Dijk’s contract expires in the summer of 2027. Whether Liverpool would want to extend a 36-year-old’s contract by then, remains to be seen.
So Hughes has to build for the future. Leoni is one of those players, but he alone cannot carry Liverpool’s depth in the centre-back department.
There will be others in the mix, too.
According to the Daily Mail one options being considered by the club is Deinner Ordonez. The report claims that Liverpool scouts are huge admirers of the Ecuadorean wonderkid, who is regarded as ‘the best player of his age-group in the whole of South America.’