Although Liverpool suffered a defeat at the weekend against Fulham, the lead in the Premier League is a whopping nine points, so in practice the trophy is already in place at Anfield. – Now next season also looks to be secured.
An important detail has come to light after Liverpool broke a “long-standing policy” implemented by FSG and Michael Edwards to secure new contracts for Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah.
Multiple sources, including Fabrizio Romano and Paul Joyce of The Times, have revealed that Liverpool are close to announcing new deals with two of the club’s biggest legends.
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Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah – both with contracts expiring in the summer – are ready to extend their illustrious careers on Merseyside. Both players have publicly expressed their desire to renew with Liverpool – unlike Trent Alexander-Arnold, who still appears to be on his way to Real Madrid.
After intense work to get the deals in place, sporting director Richard Hughes has finally finished with Van Dijk and Salah.
The full details of the new contracts have not yet been announced, but a critical part of the agreements has come to light – the length of the contract.
David Ornstein of The Athletic revealed on Wednesday evening that both players will sign two-year extensions. This is despite the fact that Salah will be 33 and Van Dijk 34 years old when next season starts.
According to reports from the Daily Mail and Sport Bible, these deals will break with a long-established policy at Anfield.
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Exception made for Van Dijk and Salah
Owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG), under the leadership of Michael Edwards during his tenure as sporting director, previously had a policy of not offering contract extensions to players over the age of 30.
Edwards was a key architect of Liverpool’s success in the Jürgen Klopp era before leaving the club in 2022. However, the highly valued director returned in 2024 as FSG’s top football CEO.
Therefore, it was widely assumed that neither Van Dijk nor Salah would remain at Liverpool, but the club has now chosen to make exceptions for two truly unique players.
Van Dijk has had some challenging games in recent weeks against Beto (Everton) and Rodrigo Muniz (Fulham). Still, the Dutchman’s overall influence this season cannot be underestimated – Liverpool are sailing towards a league championship thanks to his heroics and leadership in defence.
Salah, on the other hand, is having his best season ever and has already surpassed 50 goal points across all competitions (54 – 32 goals, 22 assists).
With both players at the top of their game, Liverpool’s decision to offer not only extensions, but also multi-year deals to their superstars over 30 looks fully justifiable.
