There is still no contract offer on the table for Virgil van Dijk as the Liverpool captain enters the final season of his Reds deal.
Liverpool put in a convincing display as they beat Spanish side Sevilla 4-1 at Anfield on Sunday – Luis Diaz netted a brace as Diogo Jota and teenager Trey Nyoni also scored – to make it four wins from four in front of a crowd to begin the Arne Slot era.
It was the first minutes under Slot for Van Dijk after the Dutchman returned from a three-week break after the European Championship. And the defender says there is still no movement on signing a new deal at the club.
Asked about the issue, Van Dijk groaned and chuckled slightly due to the question being one he gets asked almost weekly during the club season. And he said: ‘There is no change at the moment.’
It is a worrying issue for Liverpool and new sporting director Richard Hughes, who is yet to make a first-team signing since joining from Bournemouth and officially starting his role at the Merseyside club in June.
Virgil Van Dijk has revealed there is still no contract offer on the table from Liverpool
The Dutch defender's current deal expires next year, with his future at Anfield in doubt
Star forward Mohamed Salah and local lad Trent Alexander-Arnold, the vice-captain, also only have 11 months remaining on their current contracts. It means that without intervention, three of Liverpool’s prized assets will not be at the club this time next year.
Van Dijk said in the spring that he wanted to see what things were like under the new coaching regime before committing his future to the club and, asked about his first impressions of Slot, he said: ‘So far so good.
‘Obviously a lot of work that we do at the training ground – tactical, physicality as well to get fit. Today was the last big test before we start with the real deal and I feel like we're ready for that. Hopefully we can show that as well because going there (Ipswich) on Saturday, it's going to be tough.
‘We have communication with each other and a lot of tactical meetings where we see what we can improve. The finer details are very important in order to improve our game and I think that's what we all want. We all have to show that desire – and so far, so good.’
Pushed on what has changed under Slot, Van Dijk said: ‘We focus a lot on the build-up, a lot more responsibility for our centre-backs with and without the ball. But obviously our midfielders are important as well.
‘And I think we try to create certain patterns on what the opponent does against us. I think you can see in the way we play that the moments we have during the game, they are looking good. Obviously they still need to be fine-tuned and we still need to be flexible.
Van Dijk says he is ready for the upcoming new season under new boss Arne Slot
‘We tried to play short but when they go man-v-man then you have to think about overplaying that first and second line and then sprint and get the second ball. So I think we have to find the right balance in that sense but you can clearly see the patterns.’
Van Dijk said it hurt him deeply to lose the Euros semi-final to England – when Ollie Watkins scored a last-minute winner for the Three Lions in Germany. ‘I had three weeks of holiday and I would say the first week I went through a lot of emotions.
‘(It was) coming off a semi-final loss to England which hurt very much and then obviously you are going to think about the whole year you personally had and also especially how we were as a team with Liverpool.
‘Towards the end we were lacking that experience, lacking the quality, there were some injuries here and there, and multiple things that didn’t go our way but hopefully we learn from that and we can take that with us this season and show that consistency in the last part of the season.
Van Dijk said it hurt him deeply to lose the Euros semi-final to England last month
‘It is much more than playing the games, it is how you deal with it outside the games and the mental part is very important and it is not easy. Everyone will reflect on last year, I definitely did and I am looking forward to this season in so many ways and let's see what happens.
‘Obviously I think we should make some signings based on how long the season will go but I think they are working behind the scenes. I am fully confident and I have trust in the club that they will do the right thing and get the best possible squad to compete in every competition.’