Despite rumours of a breakthrough in talks over a new contract with Liverpool, Virgil van Dijk has dismissed claims as “untrue,” insisting “there is no update.”
Van Dijk has been widely considered the most likely of Liverpool’s three contract priorities to put pen to paper ahead of their deals expiring in the summer.
While Mo Salah has made his desire to stay clear his terms may be more difficult to negotiate, and Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s quiet approach has only led to a growing concern over him leaving for Real Madrid.
But while there have been claims among dubious sources that Van Dijk’s contract could already have been wrapped up, that appears not to be the case.
Speaking to Viaplay in his native Netherlands this week, the Liverpool captain insisted that suggestions of a deal being agreed were “untrue.”
“Honestly, no,” he said when put to him that, with the club refusing questions on his contract, this could imply that an announcement was imminent.
“There is no change at all, there is no update at all, there is no news for the outside world. So I have nothing to share.
“[I understand the curiosity] but there is nothing at all, it is all untrue.”
This comes after Van Dijk briefly joined Salah in the mixed zone for a rare conversation with journalists after Liverpool’s 3-2 win over Southampton last weekend.
The centre-back smiled over the Egyptian’s shoulder when he insisted: “I will play at the top level as long as possible, for sure, me and this man.”
Earlier this week, Sky Sports‘ Melissa Reddy revealed that contract talks with Salah, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold began in October, which perhaps explains the lack of progress so far.
All three will be seeking top-earner status, or at least parity, and that makes negotiations more difficult for the club given no player will want to commit to a contract first only to be one-upped further down the line.
Still a deadline will almost certainly be set, whether that is by the club or the players and their representatives, which puts pressure on the situation.
Formally, players in the final year of their contracts are free to reach a pre-contract agreement with clubs overseas from January 1.
That has led to a growing anxiety among supporters, though it should be maintained that this would have little bearing on the futures of each player so long as their priority is to stay at Liverpool.
