Liverpool have made a contract offer to Virgil van Dijk as they attempt to end uncertainty over his future by tying the Netherlands defender to a new agreement.
Van Dijk is among three crucial players — alongside Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold — whose existing terms are scheduled to expire in the summer.
Their situations have become a subject of intense discussion and Salah, 32, recently said he has not yet received any proposals to prolong his Anfield career. That remained accurate as of Sunday’s 2-0 win over Manchester City, however, the anticipation is it will change soon.
By contrast, talks with Van Dijk have seen Liverpool table an opening bid to keep the 33-year-old beyond June — though it fell short of his expectations and so far there has been no breakthrough on the value or length of an extension.
The dialogue has taken place for some time and continues, amid all three men playing a central role in the side’s fine start to the season under head coach Arne Slot.
Their superb form suggests the matter is not having a negative on-field impact and the status of Van Dijk was underlined on Monday, through a nomination for the FIFPRO Men’s World11.
Conversations are also ongoing between Liverpool and Alexander-Arnold, whose age (26) and status as an academy graduate present differences to the other cases.
The right-back has generated well-documented interest from Real Madrid but, similarly to his team-mates, it remains unclear how the matter will conclude.
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Van Dijk’s game has gone up another level this season as he continues to lead by example in the heart of defence.
One of only three Liverpool players, alongside Salah and Ryan Gravenberch, to have started every Premier League and Champions League game, he is the glue that keeps it all together.
After a busy summer where he played every minute for the Netherlands in their run to the semi-finals of Euro 2024, Van Dijk had just nine days of training under new head coach Arne Slot before the season started, but quickly settled into a new way of working.
The centre-back has more responsibility to play out from defence and build Liverpool’s attacks, a challenge he is enjoying. He has completed more successful passes (957) than any other player in the Premier League by some distance and is ranked third amongst centre-halves for passes into the final third.
His positivity around the training ground and his leadership are also key attributes. Slot admitted that even he was surprised at how commanding his captain is on a day-to-day basis and recognises how important he continues to be.
It is his solidity at the back that continues to be his biggest strength, though. Van Dijk reads the game superbly, covers his team-mates effectively and is the main reason why Liverpool have conceded only nine goals in 18 Premier League and Champions League games, the fewest in each competition.
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Van Dijk, meanwhile, has stopped answering questions on his contract situation in recent weeks and says he is only interested in discussing matters on the pitch.
Speaking on October 24 he said: “Obviously discussions are ongoing, but I don’t know, we will see what happens in the future. My 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 have been started up and we will see.”
(Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images)
