Virgil van Dijk was asked some abrupt questions about his Liverpool future
Virgil van Dijk has insisted he is only thinking about Liverpool, having been asked directly if he would be open to joining Real Madrid.
Van Dijk, 33, expertly marshalled the Reds' defence once again on Wednesday night as Arne Slot's side secured a deserved 2-0 victory over the Spanish giants at Anfield. But after the Champions League clash, the ex-Celtic and Southampton defender found himself answering questions from an upfront and inquisitive Spanish reporter.
The Dutchman's future on the red side of Merseyside is currently uncertain, as he is yet to agree a deal to extend his contract which expires on June 30, 2025. Perhaps sensing an opportunity to potentially sway Van Dijk to the Bernabeu, the reporter asked Van Dijk if he would be willing to leave Anfield to join Carlo Ancelotti's side.
A rather taken aback Van Dijk made it clear that he is not thinking so far ahead.
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When asked by Spanish news outlet El Chiringuito if he thinks he will still be at Anfield next summer, a rather stunned Van Dijk replied: "What a direct question from you! They don’t ask me that directly [in England].
"But listen, there is, at the moment, nothing I can say. The only thing that I can say is I’m fully focused on Man City from now on."
When told by the persistent reporter that they believe Real need another top class defender, Van Dijk replied: "Do they? I don’t know.” When pushed again, he added: "But [Antonio] Rudiger is there, no?”
Van Dijk was dominant against Madrid ( Image: Getty Images)
When the reporter did not relent in their questioning, a more serious Van Dijk said: "When? In the summer? Like I said to you before, the main focus at the moment, for me, is Man City. Liverpool, I’m fully focused on that, and I have nothing else to say regarding my future."
Van Dijk has been at Anfield since January 2018, when he left Southampton to join the Reds in a £75million deal – a world-record fee for a defender at the time. He has since established himself as one of the finest defenders in Premier League history.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid are also understood to be interested in signing team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose contract also expires next summer. The contractual sagas of Van Dijk, Alexander Arnold and Mohamed Salah have been among the main talking points at Anfield in recent weeks, putting a cloud over their success on the pitch.
Van Dijk and Salah both have uncertain futures ( Image: Offside via Getty Images)
If their deals are not renewed, all three will be allowed to depart the club on a free transfer at the end of the current campaign. While Alexander-Arnold and Van Dijk have not been too vocal about their situation, Salah recently gave an explosive interview, where he claimed he is, at present, more likely to leave Liverpool than stay.
The ex-Chelsea winger said: "We are almost in December and I haven’t received an offer to stay at the club yet so I am probably more out than in. I have been at the club for many years.
"There is no club like this but in the end it is not in my hands. As I said before, it is December and I haven’t received anything yet about my future."
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