Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has been speaking to the media in the Netherlands about his future at the club under new manager Arne Slot.
The Reds are getting ready for the next chapter with new manager Arne Slot and the former Feyenoord boss will officially take over from Jurgen Klopp on June 1st.
There are big influential shoes to fill in the Anfield dugout next season and the Dutchman will surely be hoping the senior members of the squad can help him maintain the high expectations and standards that his German predecessor set before him.
One of those senior players will be club captain Virgil van Dijk, a player who completely embodies the meaning of the success and magic that has been created at the club over the last eight years.
The Netherlands native now only has 12 months left on his contract at Liverpool and the club needs to decide whether they are going to tie the skipper into a new contract, sell him this summer for their last chance to cash in or let him leave for free at the end of next season.
Van Dijk has been speaking to the Dutch media about his immediate future at Anfield, revealing to De Telegraaf:
“A new contract hasn’t yet been discussed,”
“That isn’t surprising, because the club was completely busy with the new trainer, the staff and everything.
“Then it doesn’t make sense to start working with players. You can always talk and we will see how that will go.”
The 32-year-old also claimed he has already had discussions with his compatriot and new boss:
“I didn’t feel like this was a farewell conversation and I think he also sees me in Liverpool 2.0,”
“I got the feeling that he’s happy that I’m still there and will be there next season, so that I can help him where necessary. This allows us to achieve success on the field.”
Our thoughts on Van Dijk’s comments…
There is no doubt that the Anfield faithful will want Van Dijk’s time at the club to never come to an end and if there was an opportunity to extend his stay on Merseyside, it would be a popular decision amongst supporters.
It is clear from the captain’s comments that Slot already values his presence in the squad and is keen to keep him as part of the next chapter at the club, which seemingly rules out selling the 6 foot 3 titan this summer.
The Dutchman isn’t the only influential star who will be out of contract next summer as Egyptian winger Mohamed Salah and local hero Trent Alexander-Arnold are yet to confirm an extension on their time at the club, which is a concerning prospect when considering a potential future without the trio.
With that being said, it will be interesting to see how contract talks develop over the coming weeks and months, and whether the club will prioritise locking down current key players or planning for a future without them with new signings.
