Everything is easier with a title, and that scent has returned to Anfield once again. Just when Manchester City, with four consecutive trophies, threatened a monopoly, Liverpool woke up—not only polishing their trophy cabinet for another piece of silverware, but also convincing their most crucial veterans that the best days are still ahead for the Reds. So, following Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, another star has extended his contract and pledged loyalty to Arne Slot’s squad until May 2027.He’s our centre half… ✊ pic.twitter.com/u6qdyDz6Ef— Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 17, 2025 A huge achievement for the Reds, as fans had feared all season that the trio of players who, under Jurgen Klopp, had brought the club its first English league title in 30 years would be leaving. Two of the three will stay; only Trent Alexander-Arnold remains uncertain, with ongoing rumors linking him to Real Madrid. To be fair, there was talk of Salah leaving too, yet he stayed. Van Dijk was the least problematic—he had made it clear from the start that he didn’t want to leave. It was just a matter of reaching an agreement. According to The Athletic, the two sides ultimately agreed on a contract with no release clause, no pay cut—but also no pay raise. Van Dijk is believed to be earning around 400,000 pounds per week, which amounts to roughly 20.8 million annually.Liverpool break the rule just to sign Salah!Van Dijk will thus remain the highest-paid defender in Europe. After all, he was brought in as such in January 2018, when Liverpool paid 84.65 million euros for him, making him the most expensive center-back in football history at the time. Since then, Harry Maguire and Josko Gvardiol have surpassed that fee, but the former can’t compare to Van Dijk, and the latter still has a long road ahead to be mentioned in the same breath. Most of Van Dijk’s salary will be guaranteed, with only a small portion dependent on club results, not so much on individual performance.Total turnaround: Salah and Van Dijk are staying“So many emotions are running through my head as I talk about this. A feeling of pride. A feeling of joy. Incredible… Liverpool has always been my choice. It was always the plan. I had no doubts in my mind. This is the place for me. Someone called me an adopted Scouser the other day. I was proud when I heard that” said Van Dijk, who will turn 34 in July. And even at that age, there are few who can match him. After all, he has played every minute of every Premier League match this season, which says everything about Van Dijk’s quality.##NAJAVA_MECA_8859998##
