Virgil van Dijk would have had his choose of golf equipment if he had left Liverpool on a free switch, together with curiosity from the Premier League and Saudi Arabia.
Van Dijk stays the highest-paid defender in Europe and the third-highest paid participant within the Premier League after committing to a brand new two-year deal at Anfield.
It comes after months of hypothesis and concern amongst supporters that Liverpool may lose certainly one of their best-ever gamers on a free switch.
That’s nonetheless prone to be case in the case of Trent Alexander-Arnold, who’s poised to hitch Actual Madrid, however the Reds now know they will depend on Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah for the following two seasons.
Van Dijk’s dedication didn’t come with out affords from elsewhere, with the Mail‘s Lewis Steele reporting that Chelsea have been among the many golf equipment focused on signing the Dutchman.
Nevertheless, Steele explains that after “exploring” a transfer, “the sensation they acquired again is that he was going to signal a brand new deal.”
Equally, advances from Paris Saint-Germain are described as being “a little bit of a non-starter,” whereas the Telegraph‘s Chris Bascombe writes that “the Saudi Professional League would have gleefully tempted him as a poster boy for his or her extravagant recruitment spree.”
Any supply from Saudi Arabia would have ensured a big improve on an already sizeable wage at Liverpool, with Van Dijk reported to be incomes round £385,000 per week on his new deal.
However like Salah earlier than him, the captain’s profession ambitions outweighed any pursuit of wealth, with there a conviction that they will proceed to problem for the highest honours at Liverpool.
Any transfer to a different Premier League membership was moot for Van Dijk, who has made it clear his affinity for Merseyside and “all the things that embodies Liverpool.”
“It’s the place for me to be, to spend my finest years, achieve success with the membership as now we have been over time and hopefully the longer term as effectively,” he informed Lfctv.
“And I really like town, I really like the membership, I really like the followers. I really like my teammates. I really like all the things that embodies Liverpool and on to many extra.”
Van Dijk added: “I actually realise how privileged and blessed I’m to play for Liverpool FC.”
