Virgil van Dijk has insisted he’s not in talks with Liverpool over a new contract, despite recent reports suggesting he was poised to sign an extension. The centre-back has been outstanding for the Reds since joining from Southampton in a huge £75million deal in January 2018 and helped Jurgen Klopp’s men win the Champions League last season.
The Netherlands international made a rare mistake in Tuesday’s 2-0 Group E opener against Napoli to gift the Italians a second goal but his reliability at the back for Liverpool has been a key characteristic of their recent resurgence.
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It was reported at the start of the month that the 28-year-old was close to agreeing to a new contract at Anfield but, speaking after the defeat at Napoli, Van Dijk says he is in the dark over where those stories emerged from and he has held no discussions with the club over new terms.
He told Sky Sports: “There is nothing going on, so that’s it. I saw some reports in the media that I was agreeing a new deal and stuff but I’m not even discussing anything at the moment. The only thing I want to do right now is focus on the games and we’ll see in the future what may happen.”
Van Dijk is under contract at Liverpool until summer 2023 so there is no major rush in terms of securing his future but Liverpool will obviously be keen to ensure he remains fully committed long term.
There were reports over the weekend saying Real Madrid are interested in both Van Dijk and Reds boss Klopp and hope to tempt them both to the Bernabeu at some point in the future, although there is no suggestion either are eyeing an Anfield exit any time soon.
Van Dijk has made 80 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool since his move early in 2018, scoring eight goals.
