Virgil van Dijk & Kai Havertz team up with LA Lakers sensation LeBron James as UTA takes over agency

ROOF (Representatives Of Outstanding Footballers) has been acquired by UTA (United Talent Agency), expanding the group's global sporting reach by entering the soccer market. It is a move that will put management of footballing superstars like Van Dijk and Kai Havertz under the same parent company as LeBron and other top basketball players.

In recent years, UTA's sporting portfolio has been led by KLUTCH, which represents basketball icon James and has negotiated $4 billion worth of contracts on behalf of its clients across the NBA, WNBA, NFL and MLB. As part of the takeover, UTA said that ROOF will integrate with KLUTCH "to reimagine the landscape of representation for a new generation of top football stars". But ROOF will retain its own name and founding management. As it stands, ROOF represents around 130 players and 20 coaches across Europe's big five leagues. But the ambiiton is international expansion beyond current bases in London, Madrid and Munich.

"Football is the most global and popular sport on the planet, and in charting our path into the game, we've searched for a partner who aligns with KLUTCH's values and takes a similar client-first approach," said Rich Paul, co-head of UTA Sports and KLUTCH founder/CEO.

"It was clear very early on that ROOF was the perfect fit; our agencies share the same philosophy, passion and professional approach to representing the world's best athletes. Together we look forward to bringing new energy to the beautiful game and its athletes through the lens of empowerment, storytelling and forward thinking."

In additional to Van Dijk and Havertz, other top players like Sadio Mane, Serge Gnabry, Harvey Elliott and recent Europa League final hero Ademola Lookman are on the books at ROOF.

The timing of the takeover is interesting for Van Dijk, almost 33, in particular. The Liverpool captain will imminently enter the final year of his contract at Anfield and uncertainty over his future, especially with Jurgen Klopp moving on, has been growing.