David Ornstein has advised Liverpool fans to expect an ‘official announcement’ from the club ‘soon’ in relation to Virgil van Dijk.
The captain scored an 89th-minute winner for the Reds against West Ham on Sunday and kissed the LFC badge on his shirt in what may have been interpreted as a hint that he’s keen to sign a contract extension at Anfield, with his current deal expiring in June.
Mo Salah had been in a similar situation until last Friday, when it was announced that he’ll be staying on Merseyside for at least two more years, and it looks increasingly as though the Dutch defender will follow suit.
Ornstein: New contract for Van Dijk to be announced ‘soon’
Speaking from Anfield yesterday, Ornstein all but confirmed that Van Dijk will pen a new contract in the coming days and shared some details of the impending agreement between the 33-year-old and Liverpool.
The Athletic reporter told NBC Sports: “Virgil van Dijk is next on the agenda. It’s going to be a two-year contract with similar terms [to Salah] – 2027, no release or break clauses. They’re crossing the T’s and dotting the I’s and an official announcement will come soon.”
Could Van Dijk’s new contract be officially confirmed this week?
Ever since the Reds’ number 4 said after last weekend’s defeat to Fulham that there’s been ‘progress‘ in negotiations over a new contract, it’s felt as if an official announcement to that effect would be a matter of when rather than if.
That’s the very term that Ornstein himself used in an update for NBC Sports in recent days, and the Liverpool captain even seemed to tease a hint of his own when telling Sky Sports after yesterday’s game: “Everyone knows how much I love this club and let’s see what next week will deliver.”
There’s clearly been a huge swell towards an impending new deal for Van Dijk over the past few days, and if it were to be announced between now and the visit to Leicester on Sunday, it’d add to Kopites’ revelry after the Salah announcement and the late winner from the club captain against West Ham.
March was a month of torment for Reds supporters, with the pursuit of three trophies swiftly whittled down to one and reliable reports that Trent Alexander-Arnold will leave for Real Madrid on a free transfer.
If our number 4 follows the Egyptian King in signing a new contract and the Premier League title is clinched in the next fortnight, April 2025 will go down as a time of great joy on the red half of Merseyside!
