Troy Deeney believes Virgil van Dijk is using one Liverpool star to get himself a better contract at Anfield
03/28/2025 10:00 AM
Liverpool continue to work on a new contract for Virgil van Dijk.
The Reds’ captain’s current deal at Anfield expires at the end of the season and there have been no signs of a new one being agreed between the parties involved with Van Dijk recently stating that his Liverpool future hasn’t been decided.
Progress was hoped to be made during the international break between Liverpool and Van Dijk over a new contract, while the Merseyside club also need to tie Mohamed Salah down to a new deal.
The longer the situation goes on, the more worried Liverpool fans will become as it became public knowledge this week that Trent Alexander-Arnold has decided to join Real Madrid next season.
Regarding his contract situation, talkSPORT pundit Troy Deeney thinks the Dutch star has played a blinder when it comes to negotiations with Liverpool.
Virgil van Dijk is waiting for Mohamed Salah to sign Liverpool contract
The futures of Van Dijk and Salah will have an effect on Liverpool’s transfer plans, therefore, it is a necessity that the Reds get their situations sorted as quickly as possible.
Speaking about the two players and their contracts, Deeney believes Van Dijk has played a blinder when it comes to negotiations with Liverpool and suggests the Dutch star is waiting for Salah to make the first move.
“Oh, absolutely. He’s gone out and had arguably his best season of his career, showing again his availability,” Deeney stated on talkSPORT when asked if Salah has played his hand correctly regarding a new contract.
“I think Virgil’s done exactly the same, because you don’t want to sign before Mo Salah because you want to know where the ceiling is.
“So if Mo Salah, make up a number, half a million a week, let’s say. You don’t want to have signed for 150k a couple of months before. You want to see where that is and try and get yourself in and around that.”
With the players being in their 30s, Liverpool will be cautious of offering the duo huge deals, which may be a reason why talks have gone on so long.
It makes sense that Van Dijk waits to see what the Merseyside club offer Salah, although the age of both stars does not matter, according to Deeney.
Mohamed Salah’s age is not a concern for Liverpool
At 32 and 33, Salah and Van Dijk have shown that age is just a number this season at Anfield as the duo have been magnificent for Arne Slot.
The two senior stars are model professionals and as a result, Deeney believes the Reds duo can play at the highest level for a few more years and that their age should not be a concern for the board at the Merseyside club, especially when it comes to the Egyptian superstar.
“It is not what it was before. Remember, the game’s changed now,” Deeney stated about the concerns over Salah’s age. “He’s not getting whacked every week. He’s not getting smashed in tackles, and he’s not had bad injuries or ACLs or anything of that nature.
“So listen, if he’s going to suddenly fall off a cliff tomorrow in terms of performance, even if that’s, let’s say, you half what his output is now, that’s still better than most. Man City would take half of that right now for any of their wide players.”
Liverpool are expected to reach an agreement with both players over new deals; however, the longer it goes on, the more worried fans of the Merseyside club will get.
