Liverpool: Virgil van Dijk has joined Mohamed Salah in signing a new contract with Liverpool.
Van Dijk’s deal was to expire at the end of the season but the Netherlands center back has penned a new, two-year contract.
“I’m very happy, very proud,” Van Dijk told Liverpool’s official website on Thursday. “There are so many emotions, obviously, that go through my head right now speaking about it.
“It’s a proud feeling, it’s a feeling of joy. It’s just incredible. The journey I’ve had so far in my career, to be able to extend it with another two years at this club is amazing and I’m so happy.”
A two-year extension for Salah, Liverpool’s star forward, was announced last week.
The 33-year-old Van Dijk has proven to be as important a figure for Liverpool as Salah since joining from Southampton at the start of 2018 for $100 million, a world-record fee for a defender.
“It was always Liverpool. That was the case. It was always in my head, it was always the plan and it was always Liverpool,” Van Dijk added. “There wasn’t any doubt in my head that this is the place to be for me and my family.” “It always felt right,” he said. “I said it from the first day on that it felt right and I think it showed in the years we have spent together up until now. And obviously more years to come. It is the place for me to be, to spend my best years.”
That does not appear to be the case for Trent Alexander-Arnold, the third player whose deal expires in the summer. Real Madrid are seemingly confident of concluding its long pursuit through a free transfer signing at the end of the season.