Virgil van Dijk signs new Liverpool contract to follow Mohamed Salah deal | OneFootball

Influential Reds captain insists remaining at Anfield was ‘always the plan’ after long saga finally ends

Virgil van Dijk has officially put pen to paper on a new two-year contract at Liverpool, following quickly in the footsteps of team-mate Mohamed Salah.

The Reds announced on Thursday that their influential captain, 33, had signed an extension at Anfield, believed to run until the summer of 2027.

It comes less than a week after confirmation of a similar deal for Salah, with Liverpool retaining the services of arguably their two most important players after both of their previous contracts had been due to expire at the end of the current season.

“I’m very happy, very proud,” Van Dijk told Liverpool’s official website after confirmation of his new deal. “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.

“It was always Liverpool. That was the case. It was always in my head, it was always the plan and it was always Liverpool.

“There wasn’t any doubt in my head that this is the place to be for me and my family. I’m one of Liverpool. Someone called me the other day an adopted Scouser – I’m really proud to hear these things, it gives me a great feeling.”

Former Groningen and Celtic centre-back Van Dijk has been with Liverpool since they paid £75million - then a world-record fee for a defender - to sign him from Premier League rivals Southampton in January 2018.

He has made 314 total appearances across all competitions since then as a crucial mainstay of the team, firmly establishing a reputation as one of the English top-flight’s greatest-ever defenders and winning the Premier League title in addition to the Champions League, FA Cup, two League Cups, FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup and Community Shield.

Van Dijk became Liverpool captain after the departure of Jordan Henderson to Saudi Arabia in the summer of 2023 and has made 44 appearances so far this term during a remarkable first season under Jurgen Klopp’s successor Arne Slot that will end in another Premier League title, with the runaway leaders boasting a 13-point lead over nearest rivals Arsenal with only six games remaining.

They need just six points to make sure of it and could clinch a 20th title to equal fierce rivals Manchester United’s record as soon as this weekend if Champions League semi-finalists Arsenal lose away at Ipswich and Liverpool then beat Leicester at the King Power Stadium later on Sunday.

Van Dijk also has 80 senior international caps for the Netherlands to date and has captained his country since 2018, playing at both the 2022 World Cup and at Euro 2024.