Liverpool are on their way to sealing the Premier League title, but that march has been somewhat overshadowed by off-field issues.
Those distractions come in the form of the contract positions of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, all with contracts expiring at the end of the season.
Now, however, there is a fresh update on the latter pair that should fill anyone connected to the Reds with hope.
David Ornstein confirms contract status of Liverpool stars Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk
It has been widely reported that Trent Alexander-Arnold is expected to ditch Merseyside for Madrid this summer, but the trajectory of talks with Van Dijk and Salah appears much more positive.
Speaking after Liverpool’s defeat to Fulham at the weekend, Van Dijk confirmed “there is progress” but stopped short of revealing the direction of travel.
Thankfully, transfer supremo David Ornstein has added more flesh to the bones, telling NBC: “Now it’s a case of when rather than if he [Van Dijk] will put pen to paper, barring any last-minute hitches.”
But it gets even better for the Anfield outfit, as Ornstein has heard similar things about Salah’s position.
“It’s the same situation with Mohamed Salah,” he revealed. “Liverpool have been confident throughout that they will retain his services.
“As I said with Van Dijk, it’s more a case of when rather than if that is going to happen now. That will be really good news for them.”
In FourFourTwo’s opinion, Trent’s temptations to join best mate Jude Bellingham at the Bernabeu have always been obvious, but the next stop for the other two has been less clear.
Salah and Van Dijk both have plenty more to offer at the pinnacle of European football – the former currently experiencing one of the best seasons of any Premier League player in history – so it would have been a shame to see them depart for nothing.
Thankfully, according to Ornstein – who rarely, if ever, missteps in these scenarios – it doesn’t appear that’s going to be the case.
Salah is worth €55m and Van Dijk is valued at €28m, according to Transfermarkt. Both Liverpool stars will take to the pitch this weekend, the Reds facing West Ham United when Premier League action returns.
