Virgil van Dijk says he is relaxed about his Liverpool contract situation, though he has hinted he would like to extend his time at Anfield. The Reds captain signed a two-year extension in April 2025 but is now in the final year of that deal, a situation that has fuelled speculation about his long-term future at the club.
Van Dijk turns 36 before the start of next season but has shown little sign of slowing down this term, with Liverpool currently fourth in the Premier League and their captain having played every single minute of the campaign so far. The Dutchman said detailed talks over a new deal have yet to begin between him, the club and his ROOF representatives.
"I feel good, but it's not about me at the moment," Van Dijk said, speaking via the Liverpool Echo. "Let's see. I'm not in any panic whatsoever. I want to keep playing and continue what I'm doing. Let's see what the season brings. I've had an amazing time already so far. If that will be extended, that's the case. If not, then I will go somewhere else. There's nothing to report at the moment but that doesn't mean that there's any stress or anything. Mentally I'm in a good place. Physically I've been struggling with a little niggle the last couple of weeks but I do everything in my power to be out there."
Van Dijk made those comments after Sunday's 3-1 win over Crystal Palace, a result that lifted Andoni Iraola's Liverpool side up to fourth in the Premier League table. Asked about the team's development under Iraola a third of the way through the season, he added: "Some games we could have done much better that we won. And some games we lost but we were good. We're trying to find consistency as that's the only way to be successful. We have to keep going and learning from good moments and lesser good moments. We could have conceded early today but Ali helped us out. It was a very important day to just get the three points, no matter what. Glad we did that. The last game in Turkey, we were poor. We're trying to get consistency and stay up there - not only by winning games but in how we play with the ball and how we defend. Some moments in games go very well but some moments, we need improvement and that's what we work on each and every day and that's what we all realize. Onto the next one."
Liverpool's win at Selhurst Park saw goalkeeper Alisson Becker produce three key saves, denying Daichi Kamada, Adam Wharton and Yeremy Pino. Van Dijk praised his goalkeeper afterwards: "Ali was outstanding again. He helped us massively. Great save, especially the volley off Kamada. In the end, good defending for the offside goal too. We needed Ali today and he was outstanding. We're glad to have him. Unfortunately, we couldn't keep the clean sheet but other than that, very pleased to get the three points. Winning games in the Premier League is always special as it's never a given. You play against teams that make it so hard for each other. Three points in an away game always feels good."
In a separate development confirmed on Monday, Van Dijk has been ruled out of the Netherlands' upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures. The Dutch side, who currently top their group, face Greece at home on Friday before finishing their schedule against Germany on Monday. Both Van Dijk and Sunderland forward Brian Brobbey will miss the matches, with Netherlands head coach Xavi opting against calling in additional cover. A statement from the Dutch football association said: "Virgil van Dijk and Brian Brobbey aren't fit enough to feature in the upcoming Nations League matches. No replacements will be called up."
