Liverpool defender Virgil Van Dijk has revealed that the club is yet to offer him a new contract this summer. The 33-year old’s current deal expires in 2025.
Van Dijk has entered the final year of his deal, and was vocal about his future at the club under new head coach Arne Slot. He revealed in an interview after a pre season game that no talks have been held discussing his future at Anfield.
Van Dijk departure could spark more exits
The Dutch defender is not the only key player at the club not to be offered a new deal. Mohamed Salah, and Trent Alexander-Arnold are also in the last 12 months of their contracts at Anfield. The three players have been important for Liverpool in the Jürgen Klopp era, and their futures are currently up in the air ahead of the new season.
Saudi clubs have been interested in Salah over the past year, and Real Madrid are reportedly waiting to sign Alexander-Arnold on a free next summer. Liverpool could end up losing all three for free in the next year.
The trio are not the only players in transfer news this summer; some Liverpool youngsters including Fabio Carvalho have also been linked with moves away from the club.
Defender discusses future under Arne Slot
‘We focus a lot on the build-up, a lot more responsibility for our centre-backs with and without the ball. But obviously our midfielders are important as well.
‘And I think we try to create certain patterns on what the opponent does against us. I think you can see in the way we play that the moments we have during the game, they are looking good. Obviously they still need to be fine-tuned and we still need to be flexible.’
Van Dijk joined the Reds from Southampton in 2018 in a deal worth £75million. The Dutch defender has been a stalwart at the club and has been one of their best players. Van Dijk’s defensive displays earned him the PFA Players’ Player of the Year and Premier League Player of the Year in 2019. He also led Liverpool to the Premier League, Champions League and Club World Cup among other trophies under former Reds coach Jürgen Klopp.
The 33-year old will be allowed to negotiate with clubs in January. There will be no shortage of suitors for a player who has starred for club and country, and is still one of the best defenders in world football.
