Mark Lawrenson says if Liverpool are in trouble with Virgil van Dijk contract
Virgil van Dijk is one of the key Liverpool players who sees his contract expire at the end of the season with his future uncertain.
Liverpool have found themselves in a sticky situation approaching the end of the campaign, with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah also out of contract.
With the Reds comfortably on track to win the Premier League title, attention could switch to the contract saga at Anfield after the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle on Sunday.
Mark Lawrenson makes van Dijk admission
The conversation of contracts has dominated headlines around Liverpool this season and that is likely to intensify as the end of the campaign edges closer.
There has been plenty of debate over who is the most important player for the Reds between van Dijk, Salah and Alexander-Arnold, although supporters will be hoping it’s not a case of only keeping one.
Arne Slot’s men will have to be at their maximum levels again next term to prove this season’s success is no fluke, given excuses made by others.
However, Mark Lawrenson admitted this would be a harder task to achieve without the captain, saying live on talkSPORT (12 March, 9:10 am): “Van Dijk, I think he’s the most important one.
“Absolutely. Absolutely, because I mean he’s obviously captain, he’s an outstanding player as everybody knows, but I think he gets everyone together as well. If he goes, I think they’re in, they’re not in trouble, but I think it’s going to be very, very difficult to replace him. Very difficult.”
Liverpool have to secure van Dijk contract
Liverpool do have plenty of talent past these three players who are dominating the headlines, but it seems unlikely that they will all extend their stay on Merseyside.
As Lawrenson says, van Dijk’s contributions both on and off the pitch make him an incredibly valuable part of the Liverpool side and it’s hard to see a player in that position who is better than him at this stage.
| Statistics 2024/25 | |
| Appearances | 29 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Passing accuracy | 91.9% |
| Duels won | 69.4% |
Furthermore, as club captain, if he committed his future to the club it could well influence some other players to do the same.
The debate over the most important player comes down to Salah and van Dijk, and there are fair arguments to be made for both parties, so Liverpool must do all they can to tie them both down.
Liverpool supporters may have reason to panic though after the defender was captured talking to the Paris Saint-Germain owners after the Reds’ Champions League loss on Tuesday night (11 March).
Time will tell, but they are approaching D-Day at Anfield.