Virgil van Dijk sends pointed message to FSG in strong hint about his own Liverpool future | OneFootball

Virgil van Dijk has sent a pointed message to FSG while also appearing to drop a strong hint as to his own Liverpool future.

The ever-reliable David Ornstein has indicated that an official announcement on a new contract for the Reds captain is to be expected ‘soon’, and the player himself has said that there’s been ‘progress‘ on that front in recent days.

With Mo Salah penning a two-year deal to remain at Anfield and Trent Alexander-Arnold seemingly bound for Real Madrid, it looks as though we’ll soon have closure on the three contractual situations which have been ongoing throughout the season.

That’d duly free up Richard Hughes to focus largely on prospective signings for the summer transfer window, something which has been rather thin on the ground since the start of 2024.

Van Dijk expecting ‘a big summer’ at Liverpool

After his decisive late goal in Liverpool’s win over West Ham on Sunday, Van Dijk is eager for the probable Premier League champions to build from a position of strength and has hinted that they could indeed do so in the coming months.

The Reds skipper has said (via Daily Mail): “Liverpool should be able to challenge for titles in the upcoming years. Whatever happens in terms of players going out and players coming in, I think it should be a big summer.

“I think they’re planning to make it a big summer, so we all have to trust the board as a Liverpool-connected fan to do the right job, and hopefully the club will be challenging for titles for the next two seasons as well.”

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Van Dijk doesn’t want Liverpool to stand still

Firstly, Van Dijk strongly calling for the LFC hierarchy to ‘make it a big summer’ suggests that he’s firmly invested in the project on Merseyside and is ready to commit to another two years at the club, as Ornstein has reported.

Secondly, by openly saying that it ‘should be a big summer’ at Anfield, he appears to be sending a strong message to those in the boardroom that marketplace activity will be required, especially if a few of Arne Slot’s current squad were to leave after this season.

Liverpool have only made two incoming signings in the last three transfer windows – Federico Chiesa (who’s made just a dozen appearances so far) and Giorgi Mamardashvili (who’ll arrive from Valencia in the coming months).

It’s clear from the Reds’ commanding position in the Premier League that a major overhaul isn’t needed and that those already at the club deserve to be trusted, but an injection of added quality and depth in a few positions throughout the squad would set us up nicely going into what looks likely to be a bid to retain the title in 2025/26.

If Van Dijk is staying on for a couple more years, he’s made it clear that he expects LFC to keep competing for (and ideally winning) major silverware. The best chance of doing so is for the hierarchy to not stand still but to keep building on what’s already been accomplished.