'It was always Liverpool' - Van Dijk signs new two-year deal
Less than a week after Mohamed Salah signed a new Liverpool deal, Virgil van Dijk has followed suit by putting pen to paper.
Virgil van Dijk has signed a new contract with Liverpool to keep him at the club beyond 2024-25.
The Liverpool captain's current deal had been due to expire at the end of the season, and like Mohamed Salah, who signed a new contract last week, he has put pen to paper on a two-year deal.
Van Dijk joined Liverpool from Southampton for a then-world-record fee for a defender (£75million) in January 2018 and has since made 314 appearances in all competitions.
Since he made his Liverpool debut in January 2018, Van Dijk has made the second-most clearances of any Premier League defender (997), trailing only James Tarkowski (1,435).
Only Tarkowski (1,811) has won more duels among defenders in the top-flight in that time than Van Dijk (1,227), with the centre-back having played a part in 97 league clean sheets.
Van Dijk has also scored 27 goals for Liverpool in all competitions. That is more goals than any other Premier League defender has scored in all competitions in the same time (Matt Doherty second on 23).
"I'm very happy, very proud," Van Dijk told the club website. "There are so many emotions, obviously, that go through my head right now, speaking about it.
"It's a proud feeling; it's a feeling of joy. It's just incredible. The journey I've had so far in my career, to be able to extend it with another two years at this club is amazing, and I'm so happy.
"It was always Liverpool. That was the case. It was always in my head, it was always the plan, and it was always Liverpool.
"There wasn't any doubt in my head that this is the place to be for me and my family. I'm one of Liverpool. Someone called me the other day an adopted Scouser – I'm really proud to hear these things, it gives me a great feeling."
Van Dijk has won the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and two EFL Cups, as well as the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
He is also on the verge of captaining Liverpool to a second Premier League trophy, as they sit 13 points clear at the top of the table with six games left to play.