Virgil van Dijk remains one of the globe’s leading centre-backs, however, there remains a degree of uncertainty over his future in football.
His contract is set to expire in the summer of 2025, however, it’s understood that Liverpool are keen to at least discuss the possibility of renewed terms.
Fabrizio Romano now reports that the Dutchman’s situation is ‘really similar’ to that of his Anfield colleague Mo Salah.
“What I am being told is that it’s a really similar situation to Salah, there will be conversations over a new contract for Van Dijk. This is what sources say about the story,” the Italian reporter told The Daily Briefing.
“Before making any decision on his future, the defender will talk to Liverpool; and before making any decision on their future plan, the club will have negotiations with Van Dijk over a new deal, over their project, over the length of a potential new contract and the salary the Dutch star will receive.
“There are a few points to discuss, of course, but crucial points. All three key players will have conversations with Liverpool over new deals in the coming months.”
This follows a rather pointed update from the Egyptian’s agent, Ramy Abbas Issa, over reports speculating on the footballer’s L4 future.
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The Merseysiders are set to take on Nottingham Forest in their return to Premier League action on Saturday following a 100% start to the league season under new head coach Arne Slot.
Where do Liverpool stand on the injury front?
It’s good news for Alexis Mac Allister whom Arne Slot confirmed would be available for our upcoming league clash at Anfield this weekend.
Less so for Harvey Elliott who now looks set to miss a busy period of football – ‘seven games in 22 days’, as Jurgen Klopp’s successor noted – where he was guaranteed playing minutes.
Instead, we now find ourselves with a very serious depth issue in need of addressing. When Dominik Szoboszlai, whom our young gem would have presumably covered, needs a rest – who are we calling on within the squad?
It’s possible that amid our pursuit of a top-class No.6 to come in this summer, we didn’t quite anticipate the havoc that might be wreaked by an injury higher up the pitch.
Liverpool can’t be expected to anticipate every difficulty that may arise in a season, of course, but it’s a real problem that will challenge Arne Slot and his coaching staff throughout the coming months.
Equally, of course, could we have justified signing an attacking midfielder to provide cover on the off-chance that one of Szoboszlai or Elliott needed to spend time in the treatment room?
Perhaps we should now be keeping an eye out for a versatile man in the market who could come in and shore up several positions if need be.
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