According to reports from Spain, Liverpool could be on the verge of finalising one of their long-running contract sagas.
Mo Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk are all just six months away from becoming free agents as it stands, and all three would be able to speak with overseas clubs from the beginning of January.
However, it appears as though the latter could be on the cusp of extending his stay at Anfield for a good while longer.
On Boxing Day, Fichajes reported that an agreement has been reached which’ll see Van Dijk remain at Liverpool until 2028, with the news seemingly due to be made official in the next few days.
The report states that ‘everything points to’ the 33-year-old committing his future to the Premier League leaders, wording which suggests that he hasn’t yet signed on the dotted line but seems near-certain to do so.
It was seven years ago today that Liverpool announced the signing of Van Dijk from Southampton, and nobody would dispute that it hasn’t been a case of £75m exceptionally well spent.
The Reds’ defence had been a major Achilles heel in Jurgen Klopp’s first two years as manager, but in the Dutch centre-back’s first full season at Anfield (in which he was virtually ever-present), we conceded a miserly 22 Premier League goals.
It was no coincidence that our title defence in 2020/21 unravelled as the impact of his nine-month ACL injury was sorely felt, nor that LFC won two trophies and came within a whisker of winning two more once he’d returned for the 2021/22 campaign.
Nobody has played more minutes for Liverpool this term than Van Dijk (2,070), and he’s once again been the bedrock of the second-best defence in the Premier League (17 goals conceded in as many games).
With Ibrahima Konate sidelined and Jarell Quansah regressing of late after such an impressive breakthrough last season, the Dutchman’s importance to the Reds can’t be overstated.
We’ll await official confirmation from the club until we celebrate any new contract which may be in the offing, but with each passing day it seems increasingly likely that he’ll renew his commitment to Arne Slot’s league leaders.
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