Liverpool football club has tied their defender Virgil van Dijk to the club until 2025 with a bumper deal which will see him earn £220,000 per week. The deal is believed to be in appreciation for his contribution to the club since he joined the table toppers in 2018.
The proposed deal which will be available for the 28-year-old Dutch defender when Liverpool secure the Premier League title this season is also seen as an appreciative gesture of the club to Van Dijk for turning down an offer from French Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain. The French club reportedly wanted to offer the Liverpool star a deal which would have seen him earn about £280,000-per-week.
Before now, van Dijk has been earning £180,000-per-week at Liverpool since he joined the club from Southampton for £75 million in January 2018. Hence, he is expected to earn an additional £40,000 per-week in less than two months from now.
When the gigantic defender seals the deal at the end of this season, he will become the highest-paid footballer in the history of Liverpool football club. He will relegate the club’s forward, Mo Salah, who currently earns £200,000-per-week, to the second spot as the highest-paid player at the club.
In his first season at Liverpool, Van Dijk was part of the club’s squad that lost in the UEFA Champions League final in 2018. He also shouldered the defends of Liverpool in the 2018-2019 season that won the UEFA Champions League. In that season, he won PFA Player of the Year and the Premier League Player of the Season. He also helped Liverpool to win the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup. The defender came second on the podium of the 2019 Ballon d’Or, behind Barcelona’s Lionel Messi.
The manager of Liverpool Jurgen Kloop has been trying all within his power to ensure that he keeps his best players at the club. As Liverpool is set to offer Van Dijk an improved contract, they are also working on improving that of Gini Wijnaldum.
Sadio Mane still has 3 years on his current contract. However, there is reportedly a £2m-a-year rise extension deal on the table for the Senegalese but he is not in a hurry to sign as he is still weighing his options with PSG and Real Madrid showing interest in his signature.
