Van Dijk Drops Major Bombshell About Liverpool Future While Sending Clear Message to Salah
Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk has urged his "close friend" Mohamed Salah to remain at Anfield alongside him for the upcoming campaign as both players approach the final year of their current deals.
Salah's future became uncertain following a highly publicized disagreement with head coach Arne Slot in December. The Egyptian forward was benched for the first time during his Liverpool tenure and hinted at a potential January departure. An agreement was eventually reached, and Salah has featured in every match since his return from representing Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations last month.
However, speculation about Salah's departure continues—without a new contract extension, this summer represents the final opportunity for the club to secure a transfer fee for the 33-year-old. Van Dijk faces an identical situation, having signed a two-year extension just one week after Salah in April 2025.
"[Mo is] in the same boat as me—he has one more year remaining [on his deal] so we'll have to wait and see," Van Dijk commented to media following Saturday's 3–0 triumph against Brighton & Hove Albion.
"I always hope Mo will remain because he's a close friend and we've experienced the peaks and challenging moments—I wouldn't describe them as valleys—together over many seasons. Mo is a crucial Liverpool player who has established incredibly high standards. I can only speak for ourselves that nothing has altered.
"There are numerous behind-the-scenes elements that people don't witness which are vital for building a winning team. We'll observe throughout the remainder of the season just how significant he continues to be."
How Do Liverpool Move on From Their Modern Legends?
How Do Liverpool Move on From Their Modern Legends?
Slot has already demonstrated this campaign that he's prepared to envision life without Salah. Liverpool remained undefeated in the 10 Premier League matches where the Egyptian attacker didn't begin between November and January, though only four of those encounters resulted in victories.
After being exposed by the attacking nature of his tactical approach during the opening months of the season, Slot reduced the intensity and focused on maintaining possession—many Liverpool adversaries were content to surrender the ball, retreating into defensive formations that puzzled the Dutch manager.
Dominik Szoboszlai was frequently selected to replace Salah on the right flank during his absence, yet given his excellent displays in central midfield (and fullback positions and wherever else required) Slot would undoubtedly prefer to utilize his versatile player centrally.
Slot clearly lacks confidence in Federico Chiesa as a regular starter while Cody Gakpo and Rio Ngumoha produce inconsistent results from their preferred left side, never mind the right. If Salah departs this summer, acquiring a new right-sided attacker becomes essential.
Liverpool have already begun preparations to succeed Van Dijk—though that may prove more challenging.
The imposing Dutchman reaches 35 this summer yet remains absolutely essential to Liverpool. Van Dijk has appeared in 37 of the club's 39 matches across all tournaments, accumulating an unmatched 3,330 minutes. "Essential" is the term Slot consistently uses when discussing his captain.
Reducing this Van Dijk dependency will be difficult—particularly if Ibrahima Konaté executes his warning about departing the club this summer. Nevertheless, Liverpool have already acquired Van Dijk's successor—on two occasions.
Giovanni Leoni was secured last summer as an investment in tomorrow. Possessing the physical attributes of his new colleagues, the young Italian was expected to spend this season developing alongside Van Dijk and Konaté. An ACL injury in September derailed those plans.
Consequently, Liverpool purchased Jérémy Jacquet in January. The promising young French defender would have been valuable this season but will still have at least 12 months to learn from Van Dijk when he arrives in the summer.