Arne Slot sends Liverpool contract message to Virgil van Dijk | OneFootball

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has reiterated his firm desire to keep Virgil van Dijk at the club amid growing uncertainty surrounding the centre-back's future.

Van Dijk's existing contract expires in June. The towering defender is adamant that no decision about his future has been made, but reports of outside interest in the 33-year-old are gathering pace as the conclusion of his deal hurtles over the horizon.

Slot was asked about the future of his captain after he was pictured in discussion with Paris Saint-Germain owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi and sporting director Luis Campos following his side's Champions League elimination against the French giants this week.

"I don't know what is happening next season as well," Slot shrugged. "The only thing I know is that I want Virgil to be here next season. All the rest, these talks about contracts, that is not what I do here."

Arne Slot has trusted Virgil van Dijk to start 40 of Liverpool's 46 games this season / Julian Finney/GettyImages

The Dutch coach joined a restructured Liverpool hierarchy in the summer. Former transfer specialist Michael Edwards returned to the club as its first chief executive of football in March 2024 before the appointment of Richard Hughes as sporting director in June. Both members of upper management will be at the forefront of discussions with Van Dijk over a new deal while Slot focuses on the existing playing squad.

Aside from Van Dijk, Edwards and Hughes are also locked in negotiations with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah, who are tied to their own expiring deals.

Alexander-Arnold is comfortably the youngest of the trio at 26 and is also tipped to be the most likely to leave, with Real Madrid all but assured of his imminent arrival. The case of Salah is particularly complicated.

The 32-year-old should theoretically have already enjoyed his peak but is currently on course to record the best campaign of his career. The freshly crowned Premier League Player of the Month has publicly expressed his frustration with the club's stagnated contract negotiations and has attracted interest from a glut of rival teams. Much like Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold, Slot is also keen on keeping Salah. "Everybody wants him, including us," the former Feyenoord boss admitted in January. "We of course want him to extend as well. That is clear."