Virgil van Dijk ‘deal is nearly there – I’m very confident of agreement’
Virgil van Dijk has “nearly” reached an agreement over signing a new contract at Liverpool amid ongoing speculation about his future.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, former England and Leeds goalkeeper Paul Robinson, who remains well-connected within the game, explained that he is “very confident” a deal will be agreed.
This comes after Football Insider revealed on 6 December that there is a growing confidence that both Mohamed Salah and Van Dijk will sign new contracts.
Van Dijk, alongside Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, will see his Liverpool contract expire at the end of the season as things stand and will be able to discuss a pre-contract agreement in January.
However, the Reds have made progress towards agreeing a new deal with the 33-year-old and there is a feeling that an agreement will be reached soon.
The centre-back remains a key part of Arne Slot’s Liverpool side, having started all 14 of their Premier League games and all five of their Champions League games this season.
Virgil van Dijk backed to agree new Liverpool contract
Meanwhile, it has been said that Liverpool will have to compromise on their policy of offering one-year deals to players over 30 if they want to keep Salah at the club.
Robinson insisted that, while Van Dijk is now close to signing a new contract, Salah remains a way off of committing to new terms, but the situation remains in the hands of the club.
“I’m very confident Virgil van Dijk will sign,” he told Football Insider.
“I think the contract is nearly there, and I think he’ll be the one that does sign.
“Mo Salah has been quite vocal, you don’t usually see him stopping in many mixed zones.
“The club are in control here, regardless of what policy they’ve got about offering contracts to players over the age of 30, they’ve got one of the best players in the world.
“You don’t discard one of the best players in the world, just because he’s over 30.
“Look at him phsycially, look at his data, look at the goals he scores and look at his performances.
“Give him two years, give him three years, just make sure he signs a contract and stays there for as long as he can.”
In other news, Liverpool’s three priorities have been named ahead of the January window.
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