The Liverpool squad have been all smiles in training this week as they continue their procession towards the end of the season.
In truth, it has been a strange couple of weeks for the club. After confirming their status as Premier League champions at the end of April, they have been twiddling their thumbs ever since.
But there are now just two games to play before Liverpool supporters get to witness what they’ve been waiting decades to see: a Reds captain lifting the Premier League trophy at Anfield.
The man who lifts it could hardly be more fitting, either. After another stellar season, Virgil van Dijk has become the first Dutchman to skipper a team to the English title.
On top of that crowning achievement, Van Dijk also recently ended all speculation over his future by signing a new contract at Liverpool. No wonder he’s happy.
Before he put pen to paper, though, journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that the 33-year-old received a ‘crazy’ proposal to leave the club. What Van Dijk did next proved his love for Liverpool.
Photo by Nikki Dyer - LFC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Photo by Nikki Dyer – LFC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images
Virgil van Dijk rejected ‘crazy’ money
No one has looked happier to become a Premier League champion with Liverpool than Van Dijk. The No. 4 has been beaming all the way through the last three weeks.
Had things taken a different turn, though, the Netherlands international could have been gearing up to play his final two games at the club.
MORE LIVERPOOL STORIES
That he didn’t, according to Romano, is because of his love for Liverpool. Had he fancied it, Romano says Van Dijk could have accepted a massive offer from the Saudi Pro League last December.
“What I heard is that Virgil van Dijk received a really big proposal at the end of December from Saudi,” he told the Here We Go Podcast.
READ MORE: Where Virgil van Dijk finished in the FWA Footballer of the Year vote as Mohamed Salah makes history with Liverpool
“It was not the same numbers as Mo Salah, but close to that. For a defender it was for sure a record deal in terms of salary. But Van Dijk only wanted to stay at Liverpool.
“He respected obviously this possibility to go to Saudi, he heard the proposal, but he was very clear, despite the crazy bid on the table he wanted to continue at Liverpool.
“The Saudi offer was concrete, was serious, was an incredible amount of money, but Van Dijk loves Liverpool and he decided to extend his contract.”
Van Dijk has nothing left to prove
By now, it is absolutely clear that Van Dijk loves being at Liverpool. The centre-back has proven it time and time again.
With Liverpool dragging their feet a little in offering him the right terms, it would have been easy for Van Dijk to accept this offer and leave Anfield.
However, he knows that he has everything he needs from a footballing point of view at Liverpool. Still quite comfortably the best defender in the world, it would have been a big step down for Van Dijk to join the Saudi Pro League at this stage.
Furthermore, the Reds captain has a young family who have made a home on Merseyside over the past seven-and-a-half years. He is completely settled.
The Saudi project may well try again for Van Dijk before his contract ends in 2027, but the skipper reportedly has his eyes on another extension at Liverpool already. In our opinion, he should end his career at Anfield.