Virgil van Dijk stopped to talk to reporters after Liverpool's Premier League loss at Fulham earlier this month. For the umpteenth time this season, he was quizzed about his future. On his occasion, he actually had an update.
"There is progress," Van Dijk said in response to a question about a possible contract extension. When asked if that meant he was saying beyond the end of the season, Van Dijk replied, "I don't know, we’ll see. Listen (laughs), these are internal discussions and we'll see."
Van Dijk hadn't given away much, yet it still felt like a lot in the circumstances. Liverpool supporters have been kept completely in the dark throughout the club's ongoing contract talks with not only Van Dijk, but also Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold. So, the mere mention of the word "progress" came as a massive boost to an increasingly anxious fanbase - particularly as it came after a bitterly frustrating defeat.
However, the fact that Van Dijk had contributed to a dreadful defensive display at Craven Cottage prompted some pundits to question whether giving the 33-year-old a bumper new deal would really be a good idea. After all, Fulham wasn't the first time Van Dijk had looked vulnerable during Liverpool's first real wobble of the 2024-25 campaign...
