Liverpool star gives MASSIVE boost after revealing renewal talks between his entourage and the club over new deal.
Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk has given his clearest indication of staying at the club beyond his current contract.
Van Dijk acknowledged he is in “ongoing” talks with Liverpool about a new deal, but he acknowledged he is still unsure of his future there.
Three senior players, Van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, and Trent Alexander-Arnold, have contracts with Liverpool that end in the summer. Supporters are quite concerned and frustrated about that, especially in light of the paucity of information about efforts to maintain any or all of them in place. Fans will be somewhat relieved that the club captain has given a positive update in support of his declared wish to stay longer at Anfield, even though he did so with some ambiguity.
“I can say discussions are ongoing, but I don’t know what happens in the future,” said Van Dijk. “My very full focus is on Liverpool, wanting to win games that are ahead of me and nothing else. What the future will bring I have no idea at the moment. I can only tell you that discussions are ongoing with the right people. When it’s time to make a decision or whatever, I think you guys [the media] will know it as well. But now full commitment and focus is on Liverpool and to be successful this season. So we will see.”
Performances have undoubtedly supported Van Dijk’s claim that he is “feeling very good physically and mentally.” Under another Dutchman, Arne Slot, Liverpool has risen to the top of the Premier League, and this season, the Netherlands defender has been in superb form for the team.
The head coach has led his team to 10 victories in 11 games across all competitions. The most recent being a 2-1 triumph over Chelsea on Sunday at Anfield. When midfielder Curtis Jones, who recently became a father for the first time, put on an incredible man of the match performance. Van Dijk was all praise for the academy graduate, but he cautioned the 23-year-old not to get too excited because injuries had hindered his growth at Liverpool since he made his debut under Jürgen Klopp in January 2019.
“Unfortunately injuries are part of the game and I think he knows when he plays he has to deliver. So he just has to keep going down the path. Don’t get dragged too much into the positivity and keep going.”
“Listen, on paper, it looks like it is a very tough run of games and it is,” admitted Van Dijk. “Also what makes it difficult is we travel and it is about staying fit. Keeping the rhythm, but I am looking forward to it. This is what you want to do. You want to play on the highest level and perform and show what we can do. So let’s go for it.”