Virgil van Dijk is not leaving Liverpool at the end of the season if the club gets its way. According to TEAMtalk, who first reported the story, Anfield has settled on its position: they want their captain to stay, and a short extension with options attached is now the structure most in play.

Van Dijk’s current deal runs out at the end of the 2026-27 campaign, meaning the Dutchman would walk away on a free in the summer. That is not an outcome Liverpool are prepared to accept, even as they plan for life beyond their 35-year-old leader.

The idea on the table is a 12-month deal with option years that could stretch the arrangement further. That gives both sides flexibility without tying Liverpool to a long contract for a player in his mid-30s. Both parties are described as entirely open-minded about how the agreement could be shaped, with no immediate rush from either side, according to Football365.

Pay cut on the table

The complication is money. Van Dijk remains one of the highest-earning defenders in European football, and a straight renewal at his current rate is not what the club has in mind. For any compromise to work, the Dutchman is expected to accept a wage reduction, Yardbarker reports.

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Iraola wants him to stay

Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola is driving the push to keep his captain. The Spaniard has been pleased with Van Dijk’s standards on and off the pitch, and the centre-back has started every minute of Liverpool’s Premier League campaign so far this season.

His value is no longer purely on the pitch. Van Dijk is also mentoring young defenders Jeremy Jacquet and Giovanni Leoni, part of the long-term rebuild Liverpool are undertaking at the back. That leadership is a factor the club weighs separately from his minutes.

No talks until 2027

There is no deadline from either side. Liverpool are expected to begin a serious assessment of the contract situation in the new year, with the current deal running until the summer of 2027.

Van Dijk is in his tenth season at Anfield and has made 387 appearances for the club, per Goal. Formal contract talks are not expected to open until Liverpool move into 2027.

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