Virgil van Dijk breaks silence on new contract as Liverpool homeowners FSG danger fury
Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold are yet to sign new contracts at Liverpool, as fans question owners FSG and their failure to tie down Arne Slot’s best players
Virgil van Dijk has expressed his desire to remain at Liverpool despite accepting the ultimate decision about his future isn’t within his control.
The Reds captain’s contract is set to run out at the end of the season, along with that of star forward Mohamed Salah and vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold, in an increasingly baffling and prolonged saga at Anfield, which has left fans angry at owners Fenway Sports Group.
Goal machine Salah, 32, disclosed last month that he hadn’t been presented with a fresh contract offer, while Alexander-Arnold, 26, has seemingly decided to shield his negotiation details from the public eye, by not commenting on this situation.
As January looms, all three have the option to ink pre-contract agreements with foreign clubs, meaning the Premier League and Champions League leaders could lose who many consider to be their three best players for free next summer.
But it seems Van Dijk, 33, isn’t tempted by that path. He is keen on sticking around at Anfield, aiming to make history as the first Dutch skipper to lead a team to Premier League glory, reports the Mirror.
“I love the club, the club loves me. I love the fans, the fans love me and it is a very good foundation to be successful. In my opinion I can play for another three, four years at least at the highest level,” Van Dijk shared with Prime Video.“We will see what the future brings. It’s not about me but I would love to be the first one [Dutch player]. I think it is there. That is what we work for as a team.”
Reacting to the contract impasse, one fan posted on X: “In a few days, Mo Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil Van Dijk will be free to discuss contracts with other clubs… Imagine where we’d be if we actually had ambitious owners. Enough is enough. FSG out.”
A second Liverpool supporter said: “LFC were 42 million up in transfers last summer & knocked Matip & Thiago wages off the wage, which is about 350,000 a week. LFC should have loads of money for Trent, VVD & Salah contracts.
“I’m sick of hearing its a money issue. And pundits defending FSG, lot of who have backgrounds with other clubs with the notable exception of Jamie Carragher. Our problem is FSG care more about the balance sheet than the trophy cabinet.”
Another said: “FSG will purposely wait to announce Salah and Van Dijk’s extension until the January transfer window because they need to try and distract us from another window of them not addressing our weakness.”
This season Van Dijk hasn’t missed a beat for Liverpool in either league or champion-level matches, helping the club perch atop both leagues, losing just one fixture thus far.
They’re set to carry on their impressive streak when they welcome a struggling Leicester side on Boxing Day. A victory would ensure they keep their four-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
It’s been an extraordinary first season under new manager Arne Slot. Van Dijk has retained the captain’s armband under his fellow countryman, with the defender recently praising his efforts since taking the reins at Anfield.“I think the step from, with all respect, the Dutch league to the Premier League is a big one in terms of being a player, but for a manager, it is exactly the same,” Van Dijk commented about Slot.“He has done very well so far, and he has, in my opinion, inherited a very good squad not only as football players but as human beings guys who will go to war for each other and I think he has been so far so good.“He makes sure we keep working, are not satisfied, focus on what is ahead of us next, and keep improving. You see the patterns we try to do, you see, we can change in games or at half-time, and it’s obviously a big credit to him.”
