Virgil van Dijk has faced a big bill since signing his new Liverpool deal
Virgil van Dijk
Virgil van Dijk is one of the UK's highest tax payers(Image: Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
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Virgil van Dijk has seen a colossal amount of his earnings swallowed up by the taxman since signing his new Liverpool contract. The club captain ended months of speculation last April by penning a new two-year deal with the Reds.
The extension is similar to his previous deal, meaning he continues to earn around £350,000 per week, or £40million altogether. Not that Van Dijk sees a significant chunk of his wages, given he has paid £9.7m in tax over the last 12 months, as revealed in the Sunday Times Tax List.
That makes one of the UK's highest taxpayers overall, not just in football. The football list is topped by Manchester City's Erling Haaland, who has paid a whopping £17m in tax over the last year. Next up is Van Dijk's teammate, Mohamed Salah, on £14.5m.
Manchester United’s Brazilian midfielder Casemiro (£10.9m) is third on the UK footballers' list ahead of his Old Trafford departure at the end of the season.
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Former Reds winger Raheem Sterling, who last week ended his contract with Chelsea by mutual consent, paid £9.8m in tax, £100,000 more than Van Dijk.
Portuguese duo Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva, of Manchester United and Manchester City, were level on £9m. Haaland and Salah made it into the overall top 100 taxpayers in the Sunday Times list, with Haaland placed 72nd and Salah 81st.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - JANUARY 28: Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD8 match between Liverpool FC and Qarabag FK at Anfield on January 28, 2026 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Van Dijk is just behind Raheem Sterling on the list(Image: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
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Given his age, Liverpool are planning for life after Van Dijk, signing defender Jeremy Jacquet, 20. The France under-21s star, who was also linked with Chelsea, will move to Anfield in the summer after the Reds agreed a deal worth an initial £55million, with up to £5m in add-ons, to sign him from Rennes, where he will finish the season.
With Van Dijk due to turn 35 in the summer, the club are looking to put in place the pieces for a new-look defence going forward.
Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah pays the most tax of any Liverpool player(Image: Getty Images)
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Arne Slot said: "It's another example of the model we’re using at this club – young, very talented players sometimes at the start of their careers or sometimes already a little bit into their careers.
"But always players that are young and can improve us in the short term, but also definitely in the long term.
"We’ve signed a lot of them recently and, like I've said many times, the mid to long-term future of this club, and even the short-term future, is in a very, very good place."