While Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk may not have given much away to the press during their contract negotiations, they have now revealed they were “always” talking about it between themselves.
After a season of drawn-out negotiations, Salah and Van Dijk both put pen to paper on two-year deals in April.
While fans waited for the duo to reach an agreement with the club, anxiety remained over their futures, but in the end, they ‘got the outcome they both wanted’, thinks Van Dijk.
Speaking on All Red Video, Salah and Van Dijk reflected on the saga, and when asked whether they were having conversations about the topic last season, Salah replied: “Both of us, every day!
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Friday, August 15, 2025: Liverpool's captain Virgil van Dijk celebrates as his side scores the first goal during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and AFC Bournemouth at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
“We’ve been together for eight years. We appreciate that so much and we know how much we work and try to push each other and the younger players.
“We always had that conversation: what was going on between us – me and Virgil and his guys, we always see each other.”
While it became clear that Van Dijk would prefer to stay at Liverpool, he admitted that “there were definitely maybe some question marks at the start of the season” about how they would deal with the situation.
The captain added: “We’re at the age now as well that it all comes down to the responsibility that we have to our teammates, to the club, to the fans to perform.
“It was not a difficult thing in some ways to do for us; we just had to perform and what will be will be, so that’s how we went to it.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Friday, August 15, 2025: Liverpool's Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring the fourth goal during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and AFC Bournemouth at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
“Obviously, it took quite a while so we had to sit tight, but I think for both of us, we got the outcome that we both wanted and I think the Liverpool fans as well.”
Despite the constant talk around their expiring contracts, Van Dijk and Salah both excelled, with the latter contributing to more goals than anyone else in Europe, scoring 34 times and providing 23 assists.
The Egyptian explained that he wanted to set an example for younger members of the squad, saying: “You can ask anyone, I know what I’m supposed to do, what not.
“So I go into the season like, ‘OK, if that’s my last season, I need to enjoy it, I need to show the fans that I really give them everything that I could give’.
“And I also want to lead by example for the younger players. They see like, ‘OK, someone has a contract situation like that and still can be able to focus and give it all for the club’.”
A player heading into a similar scenario to what Van Dijk and Salah experienced is Ibrahima Konate.
Rumours are circling that Real Madrid will take him at the expiration of his contract next summer, and Liverpool will need him to follow the example of his elders if they are to build on last year’s success.