During the most recent edition of his Here We Go podcast, Fabrizio Romano discussed Liverpool’s intention to extend Virgil van Dijk’s contract.
Van Dijk is currently sidelined due to a ruptured cruciate ligament, but before he suffered that injury in the Merseyside derby on 17th October, the Dutchman had featured in all of the Reds’ games this term.
The centre-back, who arrived at Anfield back in January 2018, has been described as the ‘leader’ of Jurgen Klopp’s side, and with that in mind, as well as the fact that Liverpool have won both the UEFA Champions League and the Premier League since signing the 29-year-old, with Van Dijk also finishing as runner-up to Lionel Messi for the 2019 Ballon d’Or after helping his side to lift the Champions League that year, perhaps it’s fair to say that he has been an influential player for the Reds in his time at the club and so it may be understandable why Liverpool are allegedly keen to tie him down to a new deal.
Romano issued an update on the Reds’ plans to extend Van Dijk’s contract during this podcast. Here is what he had to say on that topic: “We said about Van Dijk some weeks ago and they are still working on it. Van Dijk and Fabinho, next year, they will go to talk to extend their contracts. They have two more years more of contract with Liverpool – this one [and] two [more] years – and they are convinced that they can extend these two contracts and it will be key for these kinds of players.”
Do you think Van Dijk will sign a new deal with the Reds next year?
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TIF Thoughts on what Fabrizio Romano had to say about Liverpool’s desire to extend Van Dijk’s contract…
Given how important Van Dijk has been for Liverpool since joining the Merseyside club back in 2018, surely it’s positive for Reds fans that Romano has shared the club is confident they will be able to come to an agreement with the 29-year-old on a new deal.
Judging by what Romano said, it seems that Liverpool will step up their efforts to get him signed to a new deal next year and so, with his current contract set to expire at the end of June 2023, perhaps the Merseyside club don’t want him to enter the final two years of his contract, which might also be understandable due to his important role in the side.
As a result of the club’s confidence about getting Van Dijk signed to a new deal and their apparent wish for the defender’s current contract not to wind down much more, perhaps Reds fans could expect to see some more movement on this front in the not-too-distant future.