Virgil van Dijk Rejects First Liverpool Contract Offer As Talks Ongoing With Reds
Virgil van Dijk has rejected Liverpool's first contract offer as it fell short of his expectations. The 33-year-old's contract expires at the end of the current season alongside two key Liverpool players including Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Van Dijk, who is desperate to stay at Anfield has repeatedly refused to be drawn on his future. The Netherlands skipper is regarded as one of the best defenders in the world following his consistent performances for Liverpool over the past few seasons.
According to The Athletic, Liverpool tabled an opening bid to keep Van Dijk beyond June - though it fell short of his expectations and so far there has been no breakthrough on the value or length of an extension. The Reds have however made another contract offer in an attempt to end the uncertainty over his future.
The report also claims that talks are still ongoing with Salah and Alexander-Arnold representatives. Salah revealed that he has not yet received any proposals from the club. He said back in November: “We are almost in December and I haven’t received any offers yet to stay in the club. I’m probably more out than in.
“You know I have been in the club for many years. There is no club like this. But in the end it is not in my hands. As I said before, it is December and I haven’t received anything yet about my future.
“I love the fans. The fans love me. In the end it is not in my hands or the fans’ hands. Let’s wait and see.”
Meanwhile, Alexander-Arnold's situation remains unclear as he continues to be linked with a move to Real Madrid on a free transfer. It is believed new contracts will be offered to both Salah and Alexander-Arnold soon.
Alexis Mac Allister recently urged Liverpool to trash out the contracts of Van Dijk, Salah, and Alexander-Arnold following their importance to the team. He told ESPN Argentina, "Obviously we want to share a lot of years with him [Salah], but that's a personal decision.
"The club has to make a decision and we can't get involved. Hopefully, they can come to an agreement because we want him and Virgil and Trent to continue with us. Hopefully that will be the case."
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LFC Transfer Room Football Correspondent. Covered the fortunes of Liverpool for the past three years. Follow Joseph on X (formerly Twitter) @joseph_agbobli