After wild claims that Liverpool were prepared to listen to serious offers for Virgil van Dijk this summer, a Liverpool journalist has emphatically quashed any suggestions of an exit.
Van Dijk played every minute of Liverpool’s Premier League 2025/26 season, missed only two games and scored his most goals in a single campaign at Anfield (eight).
He has one year remaining on his contract, and thus it is easy to speculate that Liverpool could want to cash in on their captain instead of losing him as a free agent next summer.
But TEAMtalk‘s suggestion that Liverpool are prepared to “assess any serious offers” for their captain as he is no longer “untouchable” has been ruled as “wide of the mark.”
The Athletic’s James Pearce addressed the article, and other rumours, in a post on X, emphatically stating: “Virgil van Dijk is going nowhere.”
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, April 25, 2026: Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk applauds the supporters after the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Crystal Palace FC at Anfield. Liverpool won 3-1. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Pearce added that the captain is “currently on holiday and then back for pre-season.
“New head coach Andoni Iraola [is] counting on him for 2026/27 and suggestions that LFC would even consider any offers for the talismanic defender are wide of the mark.”
The summer transfer window is nicknamed the ‘silly season’ for a reason, and you can file the latest claims under that umbrella, especially when it comes to contract regrets.
TEAMtalk’s Graeme Bailey claims his renewal, which sees him earn up to £400,000, is “now viewed with some regret inside Anfield following the club’s disappointing campaign.”
While there is attempted mitigation within the piece, saying the club are not actively looking to move Van Dijk on, nor is Iraola, Pearce quashing the claim says it all.
Liverpool’s final season under Arne Slot would have been considerably worse without Van Dijk’s presence, and his wages reflect his standing and contribution to the team.
Not to mention he remains the club’s leading centre-back, and at a time when they still need further depth in the position, any suggestion of allowing him to leave is laughable.
There is little doubt that other clubs would be interested in his services as he remains one of the world’s leading centre-backs, and that is exactly why Liverpool will still rely heavily on him in 2026/27.