Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk backed by Arne Slot to stay 'even longer' than current contract despite imminent arrival of £60m defender Jeremy Jacquet

Liverpool moved late in the winter transfer window to get another centre-half on board. Amid competition for a much sought-after signature from the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United, the Reds were able to win the race for Rennes starlet Jacquet.

The reigning Premier League champions are aware of the need to freshen up their ranks, especially with Ibrahima Konate heading towards free agency and club captain Van Dijk not getting any younger.

Slot is, however, confident that fellow countryman Van Dijk, who has been part of the Reds set-up since January 2018, can land another deal at Liverpool - with his current terms running through to the summer of 2027. 

Slot said when asked if recent recruitment calls are a nod towards Van Dijk being replaced: “Everything that is done here is never in panic, it's always a long-term idea or something that has been thought about for a long time.

“Of course, we are aware of the fact that Virgil will not play for this club for 10 more years but he has a one-and-a-half year contract left so he will be with us for that period of time and maybe even longer if he keeps staying fit as he is now. As I've said before, what a compliment to him at his age to play every three days, not only for his club but also for his country.

“Hopefully he can stay as fit as he is for multiple years but this club, we are not stupid, we know somewhere in the upcoming years there is life without Virgil. I can say for every position that this club is not only thinking about short-term but mid-long term future in the decisions we make.”

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Van Dijk is aware that he will need to raise his standards again in order to earn an extended stay at Liverpool, with iconic ex-Netherlands international Ruud Gullit telling GamblingInsider of an uncharacteristic dip from the commanding centre-half in 2025-26: “I have been critical of Virgil van Dijk several times, because he’s the Liverpool captain. Put it this way, if there is an orchestra where the violinist is not performing well, I’m not going to scream at the violinist, I’m going to be pointing the finger at the director. He is in front of his performers and is responsible for when something goes wrong.

“I rate Van Dijk very highly, but he has made a lot of mistakes this season, with a lot of strange errors like the handball against PSV and the miskick at Bournemouth. These are things that I’ve never seen before from him. I really hope that Van Dijk sees and addresses these errors, knows that he has not being playing well, and can return to his best soon.”

Liverpool do have a long-term successor to Van Dijk in place, with Slot excited by what impending arrival Jacquet will being to the fold - with the 20-year-old set to complete his big-money transfer to Merseyside over the summer.

Liverpool’s manager said: “Very pleasing of course. He's a very big talent and maybe even more than talent but we speak about talent because of his age. Second, because we weren't the only one interested in him so it's a big compliment to the people working really hard to sign players.

“Such a big talent and another example of the model we're using at this club - young, very talented players sometimes at the start of their careers or sometimes already a little bit a few years into their career but always players that are young and can improve us in the short term but also definitely in the long term. We've signed a lot of them recently and like I've said many times in the mid-long term future of this club, and even the short term, is in a very good place.”

Liverpool will hope to have Champions League football to offer Jacquet when he arrives, and remain in contention to land another European crown this season. They have, however, slipped to sixth in the Premier League table ahead of a crunch clash with Manchester City on Sunday.