Virgil van Dijk has revealed there are ‘ongoing discussions’ over him signing a new contract at Liverpool.
Van Dijk’s current deal at Anfield expires in June and he is therefore able to speak to foreign clubs over a free transfer as of January 1.
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A departure of the centre-back and captain would come as a huge loss to Liverpool given his outstanding performances at the heart of the Reds’ defence and overall team leadership.
However, the Dutchman may have eased fans’ fears of a potential exit by confirming that talks over extending his stay are in progress.
“I can say obviously discussions are ongoing, but I don’t know, we will see what happens in the future,” he said via The Athletic.
“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 and we will see.”
Van Dijk joined Liverpool at the beginning of 2018 in a £75million deal from Southampton, their second most expensive signing ever.
The 33-year-old has featured a total of 280 times for the Merseyside club across all competitions, scoring 24 goals as a defender.
He was announced as the Reds’ new captain in June 2023 after Jordan Henderson’s exit due to his popularity and extensive experience.
Van Dijk has started in all of Liverpool’s Premier League and Champions League matches this season under new boss Arne Slot.
This includes their 2-1 league win at home to Chelsea on Sunday in which he played the full 90 minutes for an eighth consecutive match.
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Although it now seems Van Dijk will put pen to paper on a new deal, Liverpool could still see two other key players leave at the end of the season.
Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold also see their contracts expire next June, as of now.
The Reds rejected a bid rising to £150million for the Egyptian winger from Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad towards the end of the 2023 summer transfer window.
Salah seemingly hinted that this could be his last season at the club after their 3-0 win against Manchester United during which he scored one goal and assisted the other two.
Alexander-Arnold was heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid in the summer to become their new right-back.
talkSPORT understands that Barcelona and Bayern Munich are also interested in the Liverpool star amid his contract uncertainty.
