Virgil van Dijk has revealed there are “ongoing discussions” about signing a new contract with Liverpool.
Van Dijk’s current contract at Anfield expires in June and he can therefore talk to foreign clubs about a free transfer from January 1st.
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A departure of the centre-back and captain would be a huge loss for Liverpool given his outstanding performances at the heart of the Reds’ defense and overall leadership of the team.
However, the Dutchman may have allayed fans’ fears of a potential exit by confirming that talks were underway to extend his stay.
“I can say that the discussions are obviously ongoing, but I don’t know, we’ll see what happens in the future,” he said, via The Athletic.
“My full concentration is on Liverpool, I want to win the games that are in front of me and nothing else.”
“I don’t know what the future will bring at the moment. All I can tell you is that discussions have begun and we’ll see.”
Van Dijk moved to Liverpool from Southampton in early 2018 in a £75m deal, the second most expensive transfer of all time.
The 33-year-old made a total of 280 appearances for the Merseyside club across all competitions and scored 24 goals as a defender.
Due to his popularity and extensive experience, he was named the Reds’ new captain in June 2023 following the departure of Jordan Henderson.
Van Dijk has started all of Liverpool’s Premier League and Champions League games this season under new coach Arne Slot.
This includes the 2-1 home win against Chelsea on Sunday, in which he played the full 90 minutes for the eighth time in a row.
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Even though it now looks like Van Dijk will sign a new contract, Liverpool could still see two more key players leave at the end of the season.
The contracts of Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold also expire next June.
The Reds rejected a £150m bid for the Egyptian winger from Saudi Pro League club Al Ittihad towards the end of the 2023 summer transfer window.
After the 3-0 win over Manchester United, in which he scored one goal and assisted on the other two, Salah appeared to hint that this could be his last season at the club.
Alexander-Arnold has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid in the summer to become their new right-back.
The Pitch Prospect understands Barcelona and Bayern Munich are also interested in the Liverpool star given his contract uncertainty.