Liverpool are likely to announce that Virgil van Dijk has signed a contract extension before the end of this week, Reds transfer expert David Lynch has assured fans.
The Merseysiders look certain to win the Premier League title following their victory against West Ham United on Sunday, but news of Mohamed Salah's extension arguably stole headlines last weekend.
Captain Van Dijk scored the winner against West Ham, but he is widely expected to follow in the footsteps of Salah and sign a new deal to stay at Anfield beyond the summer, when his current contract expires.
Speaking to Sports Mole, Lynch was confident that Van Dijk's extension will be announced imminently, saying: "Except for final details, my expectation is that it will be announced before this week is out, so we are very close to being done. That's quite exciting and really good news for Liverpool. He's just colossal, for Liverpool, he's so important.
"For all the worry there's been over these contracts and all the nail bites and all the teeth gnashing, all the anger at times, Liverpool are going to be in a position where they've got two out of the three done, and I think the third is a unique situation where the player wanted to just go and try something different. You've got to give credit to the sporting director and credit to the ownership."
Sporting director Richard Hughes had been criticised for a perceived lack of work given the Reds only signed Federico Chiesa in the past two transfer windows, but fans will be delighted with his tenure if he secures Van Dijk and Salah to new deals.
The impact of Van Dijk on Liverpool
During his time at Anfield, the 33-year-old has won the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup, two EFL Cups, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
His ability to defend on the halfway line, dominate aerially and play out from the back arguably makes him the most rounded centre-back in the top flight.
Lynch highlighted that Van Dijk's performance levels ultimately made the decision to extend his contract easy, telling Sports Mole: "He made it easy for Liverpool because he is the best centre-back in the world. Do Liverpool want to go into the market and try and replace him next summer or do they want to sign him up on this two-year deal on similar terms to what he's on and recognise that he can keep doing this for a little longer?
"That rare error where he boots the ball off Robertson but immediately goes up the other end and atones for it. He's someone who scores big goals as well - you think of the League Cup final, you think of the fact he scored against Everton on his debut.
"He's a player who can stand up in those big moments, plus everything else he brings to the party, which includes being a centre-half who plays the game like nobody ever has before. So it's an absolute no-brainer for Liverpool to sign him up, and like I say, news expected on that before the week is out."
Van Dijk was partially culpable for West Ham's equaliser, but he has still helped his side keep 13 clean sheets in the Premier League, the joint most in the division.
© Imago
Is Van Dijk more important than Salah
Thierry Henry has heaped praise on Van Dijk this season, and the Arsenal legend even argued that the centre-back is more important to Liverpool than Salah.
Salah leads the way in the Premier League for goals (27) and assists (18), with many supporters arguing that the Egyptian would be a deserving Ballon d'Or winner.
However, Lynch was hesitant to label Van Dijk as the more important player when he told Sports Mole: "In football, there's a reason that forwards are paid the most money, there's a reason that they are the superstars, and it's not just because everybody loves goals - it's because goals are the hardest thing to do in football. Goals roughly translate to a point in terms of final standings.
"If Liverpool had their other centre-halves fit, I think a team without Van Dijk wouldn't be able to challenge for the Premier League or the Champions League but would be in and around top four. If you take Salah out, you probably decline much further because goals are important and very difficult to do and there's nobody who can come in and get [those goals].
"As much as Van Dijk is the best centre-half there's ever been, the next best centre-half is closer to him than the next best forward in the world is to Mohamed Salah. It's ridiculous what forwards do, and [their job is the] hardest thing to do and virtually impossible to replace. Liverpool have got arguably the best player in the world at the moment in Mohamed Salah."
Regardless of whether supporters prefer Salah or Van Dijk, it looks like they will get to enjoy the pair playing together at Anfield for another two seasons at least.
Lewis Nolan
