Virgil van Dijk will soon enter the final year of his Liverpool contract, and he has been sent transfer message with the Reds captain told to give fans a "proper goodbye"
10:40, 10 Jun 2026
Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool and the Netherlands.
Virgil van Dijk of Liverpool and the Netherlands.(Image: ANP via Getty Images)
There has been absolutely no suggestion whatsoever that Virgil van Dijk would leave Liverpool this summer, but Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink says he shouldn't be thinking about an exit yet.
Instead, the former Netherlands striker says Van Dijk should do one more year at Anfield — at which point his Liverpool contract will expire as things stand. Hasselbaink has been critical of the Reds captain's performances in the last few months, even though Van Dijk played every minute in the Premier League and was generally consistent in a tough campaign.
"I think it's too early for Virgil to be thinking about the MLS," Hasselbaink told 10bet. "I think he's got one more year in the Premier League.
"He didn't have the best season, and I think that's why he's really going to want to stay one more year and really produce in his final season, and then maybe say, 'Okay, I'm going to go'.
"I would like to see him for one more year in the Premier League to finish it off properly. Give the Liverpool supporters a proper goodbye."
Van Dijk has spoken to fellow countryman Arne Slot since the latter was fired, with the Reds skipper insisting throughout the season that the players had to take responsibility too.
Arne Slot and Virgil van Dijk
Arne Slot and Virgil van Dijk (Image: (Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images))
That decision came as a surprise to the Liverpool players, another Dutchman, Cody Gakpo, said.
"I'm not going to say anything about that, at this moment," Van Dijk outlined this week when he was asked about the conversation he had with Slot.
"I spoke to Arne personally; that is the most important thing. Exactly what we discussed remains between us. For now, my focus is entirely on the World Cup."
The Netherlands will take on Japan, Sweden and Tunisia in the group phase, meaning Van Dijk, Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch will come up against Liverpool teammates Wataru Endo and Alexander Isak.
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Alexis Mac Allister (Argentina), Alisson Becker (Brazil) and Florian Wirtz (Germany) are the other Liverpool players who will compete in the US, Canada and Mexico.
Alisson for Brazil will be the first Liverpool representative in the tournament. Carlo Ancelotti's side will face Morocco on Saturday in their opening Group C fixture.
Liverpool.com says: Van Dijk being at Anfield next season will be vital, with Andy Robertson, Mohamed Salah and Ibrahima Konate all having moved on already. That is quite an exodus of experience, with much placed on the 35-year-old's shoulders.