Van Dijk in ‘serious contract talks’

Robin Bairner

18 Jan 2025 16:10 CST
3 min read

Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool, 2024/25 — © IMAGO

Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk is in “serious contract talks” as speculation continues to swirl over the future of the Netherlands international defender.

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Van Dijk is one of three leading Reds stars – along with Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold – who is out of contract in 2025. Alexander-Arnold looks destined to sign for Real Madrid while Salah is looking increasingly likely to move to the Saudi Pro League, and it now appears that he could be joined by the former Southampton and Celtic defender.

According to reports out of the Gulf, a deal for the 33-year-old, who remains one of the leading centre-backs in the Premier League, is heating up.

Current ETV

Virgil van Dijk

D (C)

Liverpool

Virgil van Dijk

D (C)

Liverpool

ETV Range

€13.6M - €22.7M

Van Dijk to join Salah at Al-Hilal

Van Dijk has opened contract talks with Al-Hilal, according to Al-Jazirah, and could well find himself teaming up with Salah in Saudi from July.

“Al-Hilal have begun serious talks with Virgil van Dijk to sign him next summer before the Club World Cup, and according to sources, Al-Hilal president Fahad bin Nafel has already met with the player’s agent in London,” the reports indicate.

Previous reports from Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, had claimed that Salah’s move is “99% complete”, and these are backed up by Al-Jazira’s sources.

“Negotiations between Al-Hilal and Mohamed Salah are taking a positive direction, and the club want the contract to start at the beginning of next June,” it claims.

These reports do raise an important question. The Club World Cup starts on 14 June while the Liverpool contracts of Salah and Van Dijk will only end on 30 June.

With Al-Hilal seeking to complete both deals before the players are free agents, will Liverpool allow them to depart the club a month early? The answer would be presumably yes, both out of respect to two outstanding servants but also because it will be an opportunity to save money on wages.