Of the three key Liverpool stars who are out of contract at the end of the season, Virgil van Dijk is the one who has given the clearest indication that he wants to extend his stay on Merseyside.
Van Dijk said in September that he wants to remain at the club until at least the 2026 World Cup. Then, last month he provided an update on negotiations: “I can say obviously discussions are ongoing, but I don’t know, we will see what happens in the future.
My full focus is on Liverpool, wanting to win games that are ahead of me and nothing else. What the future will bring I have no idea at the moment. I can only tell you that discussions have been started and we will see.”
Aged 33, the end of Van Dijk’s playing career is clearly nearer than the beginning of it, yet, right now, he remains one of the very best center-backs in the world and a key part of Liverpool’s squad.
However, were Van Dijk to leave this summer — although that seems unlikely — Liverpool might not be in as perilous a situation as it might have been had he left a few years ago.And that’s because of the emergence of Ibrahima Konate, who is enjoying by far the best period of form in his career and showing why so much was expected of him when Liverpool signed him from RB Leipzig three years ago.
Up until this season, Konate was very much a squad player — and of course, he started this campaign on the bench — but he has lined up in Liverpool’s last 14 matches across the Premier League and the Champions League, cementing his place in Arne Slot’s side.
