Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk is still going strong despite being well into his 30s and is showing no signs of slowing down.
The Dutchman isn’t at his imperious best – as was the case during his prime – but he is still among the best central defenders on the planet.
Van Dijk’s contract, however, expires next summer, while so far, there have been no talks of a renewal.
And now, David Ornstein of The Athletic has made a fresh claim on the Dutchman’s Anfield future.
Virgil van Dijk wants Liverpool stay
When asked about Van Dijk’s future in a QnA, Ornstein provided a rather elaborate response.
He wrote: “Van Dijk’s age (he’ll be 36 in July) and the size of contract he’s on — we know Liverpool’s owners are circumspect in what they offer players over 30, but also that special cases have been made previously for Van Dijk himself and Salah — will be considerations when it comes this time around.
“Their previous decisions to extend those players had different outcomes — they were vindicated with Van Dijk, less so with Salah, because he left last summer a year into that two-year contract.
“So it wouldn’t surprise you if some sort of dialogue is taking place, but we don’t know about it right now.
“Last time around, when he did sign, Van Dijk said it was only ever Liverpool, and that was his clear focus.
“And I suspect he would like to continue further, as long as his body and his level allow that. On that occasion, as far as I know, it was amicable, with cordial talks between the two parties, and I’d suspect that would take place again.”
To be quite honest, Van Dijk now has an unbelievable young central defender alongside him in the form of Jeremy Jacquet, while Giovanni Leoni is also waiting patiently on the wings.
The sensible thing to do would be to extend his contract as he still has a lot to offer as a player and a leader while also gradually reducing his game time, which will allow him to prolong his career at the club.
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