Breaking down Virgil Van Dijk’s new Liverpool contract

The best version of Virgil van Dijk never left—Arne Slot just made sure he stayed.

Another of Liverpool’s long-running contract sagas has reached a happy ending: the Dutch defender has renewed his deal.

The club captain and one of the world’s top centre-backs was in the same contractual limbo as teammates Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah, with his deal set to expire in June. The lack of updates on a potential renewal had many Reds fans fearing the worst.

But finally, not long after news broke of Salah’s contract extension, Liverpool and Van Dijk reached an agreement: the Dutch defender will stay for another two seasons. Both Salah and Van Dijk are now locked in until 2027.

While Arne Slot has guided the Reds to the top of the Premier League with performances that have made Liverpool arguably the most in-form team in Europe this season, the announcement of Jürgen Klopp’s departure last year cast a shadow over the club.

Van Dijk was among the first to comment on the news, dropping a hint that his own future was uncertain: “I’m very curious to know what direction the club will take, but when it’s announced, we’ll see what our situation is.”

Just a few days ago, after a 3–2 defeat to Fulham, Van Dijk addressed the media and confirmed that “progress” had been made in negotiations.

Back in 2017, Liverpool raised eyebrows by spending over €80 million to bring him in from Southampton. Since then, he’s become one of the defining players of the Klopp era—alongside Mohamed Salah.

Now, just months before his contract was due to expire and with the summer transfer window looming, Van Dijk is back in the headlines, but this time he’s staying. He’ll now have the chance to build on his impressive Liverpool legacy, having already passed 300 appearances and collected eight major trophies. The 2024–2025 Premier League title would mark his second English league championship.

In a December interview with The Times, Van Dijk made his feelings clear: “I love the club and the club loves me. I love the fans and the fans love me. In my opinion, I can play another three or four years at the highest level.” The bond between Liverpool and Van Dijk—what he himself called a “love story”—was always meant to continue.

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With Real Madrid closely monitoring his situation, Van Dijk’s contract renewal is one less headache for Liverpool—but the job isn’t finished. With Salah and Van Dijk secured, the focus now turns to Trent Alexander-Arnold. His future, for the moment, remains uncertain.

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