Liverpool supporters will be made aware of an agreement between the club, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk as soon as the contracts have been signed, Reds expert David Lynch has claimed.
Despite losing 3-2 against Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday, the Merseysiders are still 11 points ahead of second-placed Arsenal, but there has been a fear that the season could be dampened by the exits of the Trent Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk and Salah given they are all out of contract in the summer.
However, news emerged on Wednesday afternoon that a breakthrough in negotiations has been reached with the latter two, with the duo expected to sign two-year deals.
When asked by Sports Mole about whether an official announcement would be delayed until after the the team become Premier League champions, Lynch insisted that confirmation would be made as soon as the players’ deals are signed, saying: “In my experience – I worked for the club at one point – as soon as they sign it, they get it announced straight away. You want to get that information out there because it will leak if anyone is sat on it.
“In football, you can’t keep this stuff under wraps. I’m pretty sure no matter what that as soon as any of these contracts are sorted, they will be announced by the club because that’s how they’ve always operated, and for obvious reasons.
“It does seem like we’re getting closer to the point where it’s announced, which is great news. Hopefully that can get done in the next few weeks and give a little boost to get them over the line as well.”
Van Dijk did remark in the aftermath of his side’s defeat against Fulham that progress has been made, and with news of a breakthrough, fans may not have too much longer to wait.
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Extensions were always the likely outcome
Alexander-Arnold has long been courted by Real Madrid and his seemingly imminent departure from Anfield has been expected for some time, but there have been numerous reports suggesting that Salah and Van Dijk’s preference would be to remain in England.
Van Dijk has often been asked for updates regarding his contract, and he has repeatedly reiterated his love of both the club and fans while also saying that he would provide clarity on his future when he could.
Lynch was keen to highlight that there has always been a confidence in the Dutchman and Salah extending their stay at Liverpool despite speculation amongst fans, telling Sports Mole: “Virgil has always been very honest when we’ve spoken to him this season about where things are up to, including knocking down the idea that it [was already] signed. That rumour was doing the rounds for a long time.
“People suggested it was already done and was being kept under wraps – he shot that down to us when we asked him about it, so he has been honest all season. If he hinted that there’s been a breakthrough, then I’m willing to take that at face value. There’s been confidence for a long while around these two contracts. Obviously Liverpool are projecting that confidence privately, but also [they] just can’t afford to let them go.”
Despite concerns about their ages given both are in their thirties, both have performed excellently this season and it would have been surprising if the Reds allowed the pair to leave.
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A boost ahead of the summer
While the loss of Alexander-Arnold will undoubtedly hurt the club, keeping Salah and Van Dijk will almost certainly ensure that the team are at least competitive against the league’s best.
Salah has scored 27 goals and provided 17 assists in 31 Premier League games, while Van Dijk has helped Liverpool keep 13 clean sheets, the joint-most in the top flight.
Lynch argued that Liverpool would be in a significantly better position from which to strengthen the team in the summer with the two signing extensions when he told Sports Mole: “They [would] have to replace Mo Salah, their most reliable creator and goalscorer going into next season. At the back, [they would] have to somehow replace the best centre-half in the world.
“Liverpool can’t afford to be able to have to do that on top of everything else they’ve got to do this summer. I’ve always thought they would get it done from the basis that Trent was a different case because it was all about personal preference for a new challenge. Confidence has always been there.”
With Liverpool close to securing the Premier League title, there is a chance that the next weeks could be particularly joyful for supporters.
