LONDON (AP) — Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk is getting closer to signing a new contract with the runaway Premier League leader.
“There is progress, yeah,” Van Dijk said in comments reported Monday. “Listen, these are internal discussions and we’ll see.”
Van Dijk, who turns 34 in July, is out of contract along with Anfield standouts Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold after what looks set to be a league title-winning season.
While Alexander-Arnold has been expected to join Real Madrid, Van Dijk and Salah have seemed more likely to extend their stays that started in the 2017-18 season. The trio together won a Champions League title in 2019 and the Premier League one year later.
“I love the club, I love the fans and they were there for us again,” the Netherlands defender said after a 3-2 loss at Fulham on Sunday.
The defeat for Liverpool was only its second in the league, but it was a third loss in four games in all competitions. Liverpool is still 11 points ahead of second-place Arsenal with seven league rounds left and hosts West Ham next on Sunday.
“That’s definitely the mentality in our group,” Van Dijk said, “that the job is not done and now we just have to recover from this physically and mentally and put our minds on West Ham at home.”
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The Associated Press
