Virgil van Dijk has said he has “no idea” whether he will be a Liverpool player next season. The captain’s contract expires this summer and he is yet to sign a new deal.
Unless Van Dijk, 34 in July, extends his stay he will have played his last European game for the club after Liverpool were knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain. His teammates Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold are in the same situation. Talks have been held with all three players.
“I have no idea at the moment, genuinely I still have no idea,” Van Dijk said about whether he would be a Liverpool player in August. “It is not on hold. Nothing on hold. There are 10 games to go and that is my full focus. If there is news you guys will know it. I don’t even know myself. Everyone knows there are some conversations behind the scenes but that is about it. At the moment I don’t even know what will happen next year. If anyone says they do know, they are lying to your face.”
Liverpool have a chance to get over their Champions League disappointment in the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle on Sunday, before they turn their attention back to the Premier League, where they are 15 points clear of Arsenal at the top. Van Dijk scored the winner against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final last year at Wembley, securing the trophy for a second time as a Liverpool player.
“There are two big prizes we can still get,” the defender said. “We are going to give it everything. We have to feel the disappointment tonight but from tomorrow it is about recovery. Be ready for a good one. If we bring this intensity in Wembley with our fans, then I am positive. I am always positive. But I am really looking forward to being back out there.”
Liverpool lost to PSG on penalties at Anfield after starting the last-16 second leg with a one-goal lead. “We tried everything in our power to go through, especially in regular time,” Van Dijk said. “We put ourselves in a very good position last week, winning there 1-0. Our performance today was miles better and we created a lot of opportunities. But we couldn’t capitalise.”
Alexander-Arnold is waiting to discover the extent of the ankle injury he sustained against PSG but is highly likely to miss the cup final. The defender had scans on Wednesday and initial fears that he had also sustained a knee injury were allayed. Arne Slot told Liverpool’s website he expected Ibrahima Konaté to play after going off with what appeared to be fatigue.
