Former Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has shared his thoughts on the future of Virgil van Dijk, with the centre-back currently in talks over a contract extension at Anfield.
The Dutch international’s current contract is set to expire at the end of the season and as things stand, he’ll be able to open pre-contract talks with foreign clubs from January 1st.
Van Dijk may be 33 years old now, but he is still a vital cog in Arne Slot’s squad. He’s played the full 90 minutes of all of Liverpool’s Premier League matches so far, helping his team to seven clean sheets in the process.
Amid the speculation surrounding Van Dijk’s future, Henderson has said that extending the defender’s contract should be ‘top’ Liverpool’s to-do list, even though Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mo Salah are in the same situation.
“Top”, Henderson told Amazon Prime when asked where agreeing a new contract with Van Dijk should sit among the Liverpool priorities.
“I feel like Virgil could play until 39, 40 if he wanted to. So, for me, if they give him a contract for two, three, four years, it would be a pretty good bit of business for the club
“Yeah, I could play definitely, in my opinion as well, for another three or four years at least on the highest level,” Van Dijk said later in the same video, seemingly agreeing with Henderson. “So, we’ll see what the future brings.”
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Real Madrid not pursuing Van Dijk deal – report
Henderson’s comments on Van Dijk’s future at Liverpool come after a major update about Real Madrid’s reported interest in the defender.
Madrid’s interest in Reds right-back Alexander-Arnold is well documented, but reports from Spain suggest that he is the only Liverpool player they’re looking at, contrary to some suggestions.
It’s claimed Carlo Ancelotti’s side ‘respect and admire’ Van Dijk but he isn’t on their shortlist, despite being keen to add another centre-back to their ranks.
As reported by TEAMtalk transfer correspondent Ben Jacobs, Liverpool are not concerned about losing Van Dijk despite them being yet to agree a contract extension for him.
They remain calm about the situation and believe a new two-year extension will be agreed upon. Van Dijk, meanwhile, has no intention of agreeing a pre-contract deal with any club until after negotiations with Liverpool have concluded, so the Reds are in no major hurry to agree terms.
The same goes for Alexander-Arnold and Mo Salah, who are also out of contract next summer. The duo won’t agree an exit until after contract talks conclude, so Liverpool won’t panic if negotiations drag on into the New Year.
With this in mind, everything points towards Van Dijk staying at Liverpool for at least one more season.
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