Van Dijk Says He Is Not Panicking Over Liverpool Contract

Virgil van Dijk says he is in no panic about his future at Liverpool, even though his contract runs out next summer.

The Dutch centre-back spoke to reporters at Selhurst Park, the home of Crystal Palace in south London. He made clear that he wants to stay if the club extends his deal. If it does not, he said, he will go somewhere else. Those were his words, and they leave little room for doubt about where he stands.

Van Dijk, who is 35, signed a two-year contract with Liverpool in April 2025. BBC Sport reports that he did not take a pay cut that year. His salary is understood to be in the region of £400,000 a week.

On the pitch, he has been hard to replace. He has played every minute of Liverpool's Premier League matches since the start of last season. A centre-back is the player who anchors the defence, and Van Dijk has been the anchor for years. He is still doing the job at an age when many defenders have slowed down.

His loyalty to the club has shown in other ways too. At the end of the 2024-25 season, he asked Alan Hansen, the former Liverpool defender who later became a television pundit, to present him with the Premier League trophy. It was a small moment, but it showed how much the club means to him.

The contract question is not his alone. Joe Gomez, another defender, is also out of contract with Liverpool this summer. That means the club faces decisions about two experienced players in the same defensive area at the same time.

For Liverpool fans, the message is calm but clear. Van Dijk is not asking for drama, and he is not rushing the club. He has said where he would like to end his career, and he has also said he has other options if that does not happen. Whether a new deal is agreed will decide the next chapter.