Liverpool are expected to “break open the bank’s safe” to tie Virgil van Dijk down to a new contract, one journalist in his native Netherlands believes.
While it has been interpreted elsewhere as a major update on Van Dijk’s future, suggestions Liverpool are close to agreeing a new deal with their captain appear wide of the mark.
However, there is a belief in the Netherlands that sooner rather than later the 33-year-old will commit to a lucrative extension at Anfield.
De Telegraaf journalist Marcel van der Kraan’s claim concluded a wider opinion piece on the expansion of Dutch football, during which he highlighted the impact of Arne Slot and his compatriots.
“Cody Gakpo, Ryan Gravenberch and Virgil van Dijk really started here in the Eredivisie. We didn’t realise then that they would become world stars,” Van der Kraan wrote.
“The first is, according to the latest valuation in the New Year, a player worth more than €100 million.
“The second is heading in that direction and for Van Dijk they will break open the bank’s safe one of these days to extend him at Liverpool once again.”
While aggregators on X and beyond saw this as near-confirmation that a new contract was close, that is seemingly not the case.
It is more opinion than fact, but one that reflects the confidence around Van Dijk’s ongoing talks with Liverpool.
The Netherlands captain has kept counsel when it comes to his negotiations with the club but has repeatedly insisted – like Mohamed Salah – that there had been no developments so far.
Van der Kraan’s comments echo a wider belief that Liverpool’s No. 4 is not only the most likely to stay, but also the most likely to put pen to paper first.
The notion of ‘breaking the bank’ is a given; Van Dijk, despite his age, will not be taking a pay cut at this stage in his career, with the centre-back adamant that he can play at the top until his late 30s.
Already earning around £220,000 per week, it is certain that Liverpool will need to commit a significant sum to retain the services of arguably the greatest defender in the club’s history.
When it comes to this latest report, it should be treated as less of an update and more an extension of popular belief.
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