Liverpool may be hesitant to pay big money to 33-year-old Virgil van Dijk, but they face a potentially costly gamble if they decide not to offer the club captain an improved contract
Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool during the Premier League match between Newcastle United FC and Liverpool FC at St James' Park on December 04, 2024 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Virgil van Dijk's contract expires in summer 2025
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It should be no surprise that Virgil van Dijk has been nominated for Fans’ Footballer of the Year, with the towering Dutchman still in the upper echelon of world centre-backs.
Van Dijk is one of three key Liverpool stars who are out of contract in the summer along with Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, and there remains doubts over whether the Dutchman will be at Anfield next season.
At 33, it’s understandable that Liverpool’s hierarchy may be reluctant to continue paying the big bucks to a player whose time at the highest level may be limited.
Yet Van Dijk has shown no signs of any sort of drop in his performances. In fact, he’s arguably improved over the last 18 months after he initially struggled to return to his dominant best following his high-profile knee injury in 2020.
While the decision-makers at Anfield may be hesitant to pay big money to a player the wrong side of 30, it seems like the most sensible option when compared to the fees that any sort of replacement for Van Dijk would command.
Van Dijk is arguably the most recent example of a centre-back who is a generational talent, such was the impact he had when moving to Liverpool in 2018 for £75m; a similar sort of price that a Van Dijk replacement would cost in 2024.
While the likes of Antonio Rudiger, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Ruben Dias have all operated on a similar level to Van Dijk over the past few years, the chances of Liverpool landing any of them seem remote.
Instead, the Reds have been linked with four potential Van Dijk replacements: Gleison Bremer, Goncalo Inacio, Loic Bade and Marc Guehi, who range in asking price from £45m (Bade) to £75m (Guehi).
All of these players have the tools to be successful at Anfield, but none of them are currently operating at the same level as Van Dijk.
Indeed, the lack of truly standout centre-back talent in the current generation of players may well be what prompted rivals Manchester United to pay up to £58.9m for teenager Leny Yoro.
While the 19-year-old looks like he will have a big future in the game, a young player’s development is never linear and that’s a huge fee to pay for potential.
Leny Yoro commanded a big fee due to his high potential
As such, it seems more prudent for Liverpool to extend Van Dijk’s contract while he continues to operate on the highest level.
In fact, there’s an argument to be made that Van Dijk represents the most important contract to extend out of the three Liverpool stars whose futures are up for debate.
Fellow Fans’ Footballer of the Year nominee Salah has been in sensational form this season and is irreplaceable as an individual, but Liverpool’s attack will always carry a threat, with or without the Egyptian.
On a similar level, if Alexander-Arnold is lured away to Real Madrid at the end of the season, Conor Bradley has already shown he is a more than capable replacement at right-back.
It means Liverpool ultimately have a simple decision to make: renew Van Dijk’s contract, or face what could potentially be a costly gamble.
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