The time in which to renew Virgil van Dijk‘s contract is narrowing considerably but it is not yet time to panic, Reds expert David Lynch has insisted.
Van Dijk was part of the Liverpool team that lost the EFL Cup final 2-1 against Newcastle United at Wembley on Sunday, though few can have complaints about the result.
The Reds centre-back told reporters in the aftermath of the defeat that there would be an update regarding his future before the end of the season, but fans have grown increasingly worried given recent links to Paris Saint-Germain.
Lynch acknowledged that the window in which the club can renew the defender is narrowing, but he also argued that fans should not yet panic, telling Sports Mole: “Liverpool have put themselves in this position. These worrying reports can come around if you don’t tie up your captain into a contract and if he gets into those last six months, he’s absolutely free to see what’s out there.
“There are clubs who will pay more than Liverpool and they will be putting that money in front of him to say ‘why don’t you come and try something new.’ I’m still not hugely concerned yet because he could not be more adamant about how much he loves Liverpool and wants to stay, so I don’t think money is going to be the decisive factor.
“As much as we can keep saying that talks are ongoing and we’re not too worried yet, time is ticking down now. They are running out of time to get this done, so whatever that issue is, whatever is putting a stop on it, they need to work through that and get it sorted out because of the three, he’s the one who is most clearly committed to stay.”
The centre-back has told fans that as long as he himself is calm, there is no reason to panic, but his exit would significantly weaken boss Arne Slot‘s team.
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Can PSG lure Van Dijk away?
One of the disadvantages that Liverpool face is the fact that Paris Saint-Germain would be able to pay significantly more than they can in wages.
In fact, recent reports suggested that Van Dijk could be offered a package to leave for France in the region of £83m over the course of a two year deal with the option of a third.
However, Lynch expressed his view that money is not a particularly important factor for the centre-back when speaking to Sports Mole, saying: “If he was someone who chased the money he would have gone to Manchester City in the first place, so he’s not that kind of character, but [the links to PSG are] concerning, there’s no question about that.
“He’s the captain – I say I don’t think he’s going to chase the money elsewhere, but you’ve got to [still] pay him at the level he believes he’s worth and there’s clearly a disagreement on what that is – or contract length – but they need to get that done.
“We’ll have to see how that pans out and you just hope that although PSG are putting money in front of Van Dijk that he is willing to stay and will put pen to paper at Liverpool, but it’s very late at the moment and Liverpool need to get a move on.”
Van Dijk was a reported target for Manchester City in the 2017-18 season – a season in which Pep Guardiola‘s side would go on to win the title with 100 points – but Liverpool were able to lure the Dutchman away from Southampton despite being at a financial disadvantage compared to City.
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Can anyone replace Van Dijk?
While Liverpool will want to renew the 33-year-old’s contract, the club will likely have done their due diligence in regard to scouting for potential replacements.
The likes of Marc Guehi, Nico Schlotterbeck and Alessandro Bastoni have been linked with a move to Anfield in recent weeks, with reports suggesting that the Reds would be willing to pay more than £60m for the latter.
Despite such reports, Lynch dismissed the idea that any centre-back could come into the XI and replicate Van Dijk’s impact when he told Sports Mole: “There’s absolutely no chance that Liverpool can sign anyone who will be as good as him for next season at the bare minimum. Maybe they’ll be as good as him in three seasons time when he starts to decline.
“He’s operating at an absolutely ridiculous level. People [at Liverpool] talk about how they have a wage structure, that they do this, that or the other, but they’re also not stupid and the idea that they’re going to let him go to me is just utterly laughable.
“I can’t imagine a world where they have the confidence that they think they can sign a centre-half who’s going to be anywhere near that level unless they’re fully accepting that a season of absolute pain and misery is coming up, but I don’t think they will want that. None of those those links inspire anything, I’m not hugely convinced by any of them.”
Though Van Dijk is 33 years old, he has shown no signs of physical decline, and it would be risky to allow arguably the best centre-back in the Premier League to leave for free.
