Liverpool will aim to resolve the contract situation of club captain Virgil van Dijk after ramping up talks with his centre-back partner Ibrahima Konate, TEAMtalk can reveal.
Liverpool are under a new era with head coach Arne Slot coming in and bringing changes to a side that has been so successful under former boss Jurgen Klopp. It has been a superb start under the Dutchman, with the Reds firmly in the title race and currently sitting top of the table.
Things may be superb on the pitch but there is work to do off it with a number of their top stars coming to the end of their current deals. Mo Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Van Dijk are all out of contract in the summer of 2025 and fans are growing concerned that they may lose them for nothing.
However, sources have provided TEAMtalk with a positive update about the club’s most important defender, Van Dijk. We can reveal that the Netherlands star will be next in line for fresh terms after Liverpool have secured the long-term future of Konate.
Liverpool hope to soon announce that they have reached an agreement to extend the contract of Konate, with talks between the two parties advanced and the 25-year-old very keen to stay at Anfield. He is a key player and the expectation is that he and Van Dijk will be partnering Liverpool at the back next season.
Van Dijk has been one of the best defenders in the world over the past few years and is considered extremely important to the club. Sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that Slot has made it clear he wants an agreement with Van Dijk to be reached soon so he can focus on other areas of the pitch and have the guarantee of having the 33-year-old there next season.
Van Dijk has insisted he wants to remain “the big leader” for Liverpool and the Netherlands “for the next two years.” There is a calm confidence that an agreement will be struck and talks are set to happen over the next few weeks.
The Netherlands captain is one of Liverpool’s highest earners and he will remain in that top tier. With bonuses, he could become the biggest earner at the club when a new deal is finalised.
It is expected that the new contract will take Van Dijk to £300,000 per week, a significant increase on his current deal which is worth £220k a week.
Liverpool fans eagerly awaiting contract news
Liverpool have already announced one new contract this week, though it was not for one of the big trio of Van Dijk, Salah and Alexander-Arnold.
The Reds have tied young defender Jarell Quansah down to a new long-term contract. They have immediately turned their attention to Konate, with Van Dijk’s new deal the next objective after that.
On Monday, it was claimed that Van Dijk has told those close to him he is keen to stay at Liverpool, and club chiefs Richard Hughes and Michael Edwards will soon hand him that opportunity.
But Liverpool supporters will also be desperate to see contract talks accelerate with both Salah and Alexander-Arnold.
The Saudis remain determined to add Salah to their top flight by offering him a massive salary, while Paris Saint-Germain are also keeping tabs on the situation.
Saudi Arabian clubs are watching Van Dijk too, though they look set to be disappointed in that particular transfer hunt.
Alexander-Arnold, meanwhile, is on Real Madrid’s list of potential successors to Dani Carvajal.
The fact that Carvajal has picked up a serious injury has led to speculation about Madrid moving for Alexander-Arnold in January, though Liverpool will try their hardest to resolve his situation before then.
As the right-back is 26 years old and heading into his peak years, there is good reason to suggest that he is the most important player for Liverpool to agree a new contract with.
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Liverpool latest: Klopp’s new job, striker update
Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp has confirmed his first new role since leaving Liverpool at the end of last season.
The Anfield icon will become Red Bull’s ‘Head of Global Soccer’ on January 1, 2025.
Klopp will not be involved in day-to-day activities at any of Red Bull’s clubs, but he will help with ‘strategic vision’, support sporting directors, aid the development of coaches and improve scouting.
“After almost 25 years on the sideline, I could not be more excited to get involved in a project like this,” he said. “The role may have changed but my passion for football and the people who make the game what it is has not.
“By joining Red Bull at a global level, I want to develop, improve and support the incredible football talent that we have at our disposal. There are many ways that we can do this from using the elite knowledge and experience that Red Bull possesses to learning from other sports and other industries.
“Together we can discover what is possible. I see my role primarily as a mentor for the coaches and management of the Red Bull clubs but ultimately I am one part of an organisation that is unique, innovative and forward looking. As I said, this could not excite me more.”
Elsewhere, Fabrizio Romano has provided his information on the future of Lille striker Jonathan David, who is a target for both Liverpool and Arsenal.
David has run down his Lille contract, leading to talk of a potential cut-price January move out of France. But Romano states that it is more likely he will leave the club as a free agent next summer.
Rather than following the money by joining a team in the Middle East, Romano adds that David is prioritising a good project and the opportunity to work with a top coach who can improve his game at the elite level.
This puts both Liverpool and Arsenal in strong positions to snap him up for nothing.
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