Whether he meant to or not, Virgil van Dijk has shifted the needle on his contract situation.
The defender has tended to brush off questions about his future this year, claiming there is no new update and that he is relaxed. So when the Liverpool skipper told reporters at Craven Cottage there has been “progress” in the talks between the club and player, it should be taken as a hugely positive sign.
Van Dijk’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season and, despite months of talks, no deal has yet been agreed. On Sunday, he was unwilling to go into detail about the nature of recent negotiations between the club and player, however, and said: “These are internal discussions.”
It follows intriguing comments made last week that were widely shared on social media. “I can’t say more than there will be news in the upcoming weeks, whether it’s positive or not,” Van Dijk said, when asked if he had played his final Merseyside derby. “I have no idea at this point, well I don’t know. I mentioned it many times before, I said I am calm.
“Like I said also many times before, you know I love the club, and the club loves me. I love playing for Liverpool. At this stage, I’m not really panicking whatsoever, so let’s see.”
It’s an interesting pivot from comments made last month after Liverpool’s Champions League elimination by Paris Saint-Germain. “Still no idea. I have no idea at the moment. There is nothing on hold. I don’t even know myself. I keep saying the same thing.
“If there is news, you guys will know it but I don’t even know it myself. Everyone knows there is some conversations behind the scenes but that is about it. I don’t know what will happen next year so if anyone says they do, they are lying to you.”
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He admitted later in the same week that running down his contract and signing fresh terms in the summer is a possibility. “It’s not a one, two, three discussion and there we go,” he claimed. “There are multiple factors and as long as I am calm to you guys (the media) then there is no need to panic, whatever may happen in the future. If I was worried you would see me playing a little bit worried and that is not the case.
In late February, Van Dijk also hinted there would be an update at some point. “What will happen in the future? At this point, I have no idea. But I think in the next couple of months there will definitely be some information about that.”
The Dutchman is not the only player whose future looks uncertain. Trent Alexander-Arnold’s contract saga looks likely to result in him joining Real Madrid this summer, but Mohamed Salah’s next steps are not clear.
Interestingly, he has spoken less in the media over recent weeks, although that is partly due to a downturn in the number of player-of-the-match awards and a two-week gap in the club schedule due to the international break.
(Image: Getty Images)
Throughout the majority of the season, Salah has cut a frustrated figure when speaking to the press about his future and has stated he will leave Liverpool this summer as his contract status has not yet been sorted.
“As you know it’s my last year in the club. Nobody in the club has talked to me about contracts. It is not up to me, nobody talked to me from the club but we will see,” Salah said as far back as September.
“I’m probably more out than in,” he added in late November. “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 [nearly] December and I haven’t received anything yet about my future. In the end it is not in my hands or the fans’ hands. Let’s wait and see. I’m disappointed but we will see.”
In January, he echoed that sentiment, stating: “So far, yes. It’s the last six months [of my time at Liverpool]. There is no progress there. We are far away from any progress. So, we just need to wait and see.” But by February, his stance had softened. “I don’t know [what will happen]. I just feel like my whole focus now is to win the Premier League. It doesn’t matter if it’s the last game or not the last game, we will see.”
There will be updates on both players at some point but the messages from both players are looking increasingly positive.
