What Virgil van Dijk said about his future after Liverpool defeat will terrify Reds fans | OneFootball

As if the sight of Virgil van Dijk speaking with Paris Saint-Germain‘s president after Liverpool’s Champions League elimination by the French club wasn’t worrying enough for Reds fans, the Dutchman’s post-match comments about his future will also send a shiver down the spine of every Kopite.

The 33-year-old was seen in conversation with Nasser Al-Khelaifi at Anfield late on Tuesday night, and while no details have emerged regarding just what was said, it’s an alarming sight when the LFC captain has just over three months remaining on his current contract on Merseyside.

Just to compound the misery for those of a red persuasion who are desperate for him to stay, the centre-back appeared to cast further doubt over his situation when speaking to reporters after the game.

What did Van Dijk say about his Liverpool future?

As per Paul Joyce for The Times, Van Dijk is giving nothing away publicly about his contractual affairs and – along with sportingly congratulating PSG on their win last night – insists that he’s unsue himself as to whether or not he’ll still be at Liverpool by the end of the summer.

The Reds’ number 4 said: “I have no idea. I still have no idea at the moment. Genuinely. I have no idea at the moment. It is not on hold. Nothing on hold. There’s just… I keep saying the same thing.

“Listen, there are 10 games to go, and that is my full focus. If there is news, you guys will know it. I don’t even know myself. Everyone knows there are some conversations behind the scenes but that is about it.

“At the moment, I don’t even know what will happen next year. If anyone says they do know, they are lying to your face.”

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Liverpool absolutely CANNOT afford to lose Van Dijk this summer

While it’s possible that Van Dijk could be eager to remain at Liverpool and working with his agent behind the scenes to try and agree a contract extension, the lack of any clue one way or the other in public won’t do anything to ease the nerves of Reds supporters.

Richard Hughes does appear to be planning for a future after the 33-year-old – with LFC being linked with several centre-backs of late, including Dean Huijsen, Nico Schlotterbeck and Joel Ordoñez – and such succession planning is crucial given the Dutchman’s age.

However, with a few of our current defenders experiencing multiple injury problems this season – Joe Gomez, Conor Bradley and Trent Alexander-Arnold are all sidelined at present, while Ibrahima Konate missed the final month of 2024 – the club can ill afford to let any of those leave without bringing in other options first.

To lose Van Dijk on a free transfer in the summer would be an enormous body blow for Liverpool, and his performances over the past year indicate that, far from declining, he’s actually performing to a consistently high level not seen since his 2018-2020 peak.

Frustratingly, it looks as though we could be kept waiting another while for clarity on the Dutchman’s future. However, if he ultimately pens a new deal and stays at Anfield for at least another year or two, it’ll be worth every bit of the wait.