Virgil van Dijk has reportedly agreed to a new contract to remain at Anfield until the summer of 2025. The Liverpool defender has been touted as one of the best players in the world in the last two seasons, and the club is keen on rewarding his development with a new contract, in spite of the fact that his current contract doesn't expire until 2023.
According to 90min, Van Dijk's new deal concerning a pay hike had already been set during the summer. Now, the new deal has been confirmed as per The Mirror, reporting that all the details have been confirmed and agreed. The Dutchman's new contract will give him an improved basic pay with less dependency on the additional payments than before.
Van Dijk's pay raise was reportedly due to the arrival of Harry Maguire at Manchester United. The club's huge spending has prompted the defender's representatives to demand a fair wage that would compensate for his status.
Van Dijk is now expected to receive close to £200,000 per week - a considerable increase from his current weekly pay of £125,000. Meanwhile, his current deal includes a lot of bonuses based on his performance, but Liverpool has reportedly excluded most of the bonuses to make sure that the star takes home the new agreed wage. Van Dijk is the latest first-team player to have his contract extended with Liverpool. He joins Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Sadio Mane, and Mohamed Salah - all of which signed new deals in the last year.
The UEFA Men's Player of the Year award was recently given to Van Dijk, adding to his exemplary trophy cabinet that already has Premier League Player of the Season award and the PFA Players' Player of the Year prize. Van Dijk's most recent award was based on his performances for both the Netherlands and Liverpool, in which he beat Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. At Anfield, the player came close to lifting the Premier League title. The club also won the Champions League.
The 28-year-old was signed to Liverpool from Southampton for £75 last year, and he has since helped the club keep 22 clean sheets in the Premier League, which is the most in Europe's six top leagues. His side were narrowly pipped to the title by Manchester City, but he was instrumental in helping the Reds win a sixth Champions League title, and he finished runner-up to Portugal in the inaugural UEFA Nations League.
