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Virgil van Dijk will be at Anfield for at least the next two seasons - AP/Ian Hodgson
Liverpool have confirmed Virgil van Dijk has signed a two-year deal to keep the spine of Arne Slot’s side intact for a likely title defence next season.
Following Mohamed Salah’s extension until 2027 last week, Van Dijk formally ended another saga which has shadowed a campaign which is on the verge of ending with Premier League success.
From the outset, Liverpool were confident there would be a resolution which kept two of their most senior, top performing players at Anfield.
Both could have left for free and attracted huge salaries and signing-on fees.
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Contract extensions for Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah bring to end a period of uncertainty for the club - AP/Jon Super
Like Salah, Van Dijk had numerous options to explore which would have given him more greater financial rewards than staying in England.
As with his team-mate, the Saudi Pro League would have gleefully tempted him as a poster boy for their extravagant recruitment spree.
But the Saudis have been left disappointed again as winning the biggest honours in England and Europe remains Van Dijk’s primary motivation.
He has committed believing if Liverpool get over the line this season they are well positioned to add more honours in the Slot era.
Van Dijk’s position as one of the greatest footballers in Liverpool’s history is guaranteed. Since moving to the club from Southampton for a then record £75 million, he has established himself alongside Alan Hansen among the all-time great Liverpool defenders.
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Van Dijk turned down more lucrative options in order to stay at Anfield - Getty Images/Paul Ellis
He won the Champions League in 2019 and Premier League in 2020, becoming club captain after Jordan Henderson’s departure for Saudi Arabia, in 2023, when Van Dijk was also a target for the league.
Liverpool have been in contention for or won major trophies in all but one season since Van Dijk has been a regular. His importance was never clearer than in 2020-21, when he missed seven months because of a cruciate knee injury – Liverpool struggling to qualify for the Champions League in his absence. The 2022-23 season stands alone as a campaign in which Van Dijk played every week for Liverpool and the club’s standards dropped, but he has returned to majestic form in the two years since.
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