Virgil van Dijk deflected questions about his future at Liverpool in an awkward post-match interview with a Spanish journalist.
The central defender is entering the final months of his contract with the Reds alongside Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
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Van Dijk, the club’s captain at Anfield, revealed in October that talks over a new contract were “underway” and reports on Thursday even suggested he had agreed to an extension of his stay.
However, The Pitch Prospect understands that these rumors are on the wrong end and that the defender’s future remains unclear. An El Chiringuito journalist took the opportunity to seek clarity from him.
“Your future, are you going to stay here?” he asked Van Dijk after Liverpool’s 2-0 Champions League win over Real Madrid on Wednesday evening.
“What a direct question from you, they don’t ask me that directly!” replied the defense attorney and seemed surprised by the journalist’s openness.
“But listen, there’s nothing I can say right now. The only thing I can say is that I am fully focused on Man City.” [who Liverpool play on Sunday] from now on.
The journalist then hinted that he might move to Madrid if he left Liverpool, saying: “Real Madrid need centre-backs.”
“Actually? I don’t know,” Van Dijk replied, before being told that his fellow centre-backs Eder Militao and David Alaba are injured in Madrid.
“But [Antonio] Rüdiger is there,” the Liverpool star insisted, although the journalist responded by asking: “Maybe you’re going to Madrid?”
Van Dijk deflected again and replied: “When? In summer? As I said, my main focus at the moment is Man City.”
It’s clear his main focus at the moment is this weekend’s showdown, as Liverpool look to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League and plunge their regular title rivals into further misery.
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Van Dijk will play an important role in this game and knows that a win for the Reds could see them extend their lead at the top to 11 points – over a Man City side who have not won in six games and five lost of it.
However, with the Netherlands international available for talks with foreign clubs over a pre-contractual agreement in January, questions about his future are likely to remain.
The 33-year-old has been a crucial part of Liverpool’s success since his move from Southampton in 2018.
Van Dijk has made a total of 287 appearances in all competitions, winning trophies including the Premier League and Champions League.
He played the full 90 minutes of the comfortable win over Madrid on Wednesday night, maintaining their 100 percent record in Europe’s elite competition, where they also top the table.
Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo were the scorers for Arne Slot’s side in a game in which Salah and Kylian Mbappe missed penalties.