FOOTBALL
Salah says 'hopefully Virgil will be next' after celebrating new Liverpool contract
Mohamed Salah has expressed hope that Virgil van Dijk will commit his future to Liverpool, after the duo helped the Reds close in on the Premier League title.
Salah, who provided the assist for Luis Diaz to break the deadlock in Sunday’s 2-1 win over West Ham, penned a new two-year deal on Friday, with the club reportedly still engaged in extension talks with Van Dijk.
The Dutchman was partially at fault for West Ham's equaliser as he scuffed a cross onto Andy Robertson, who deflected it into his own net, but he made swift amends for his error with a last-gasp header to seal all three points for Liverpool.
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The win leaves Arne Slot’s side just six points away from clinching the Premier League title, with six games remaining.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Salah expressed both relief over his own renewal and a desire to see Van Dijk follow suit.
"I am glad we managed to do that before the end of the season. Hopefully, Virgil will be next," he said.
"He can do whatever he wants, but I would love to play with him next season."
Speaking on the same topic, Van Dijk was slightly more reserved in his response.
"Everyone knows how much I love this club and let's see what next week will look like," he said to Sky Sports.
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 13, 2025
The West Ham game was Van Dijk’s 100th as captain of Liverpool, and he acknowledged reaching that mark on the weekend that the Reds paid tribute to the victims of the Hillsbrorough Disaster made it particularly emotional.
"I am very happy to captain my 100th game for Liverpool, it was an emotional day with Hillsborough and that was the main focus," he said.
"One step closer to all our dreams."
Van Dijk’s 89th-minute header off Alexis Mac Allister’s corner was his 24th Premier League goal – the most of any centre-back since his debut in September 2015.
John Terry (27) is the only defender in Premier League history with more headed goals than Van Dijk (18), who overtook Sami Hyypia with his latest (17).
It was his second goal of the season and his first since October last year, when he scored against Arsenal.
With a match against relegation-certainties Leicester City up next, Arne Slot’s side have a chance to get one step closer to Premier League glory before a run of blockbuster fixtures against Tottenham, Chelsea, and Arsenal.
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