Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk is said to have been waiting for a call from Real Madrid before putting pen to paper about extending his contract at Anfield. The shocking revelation comes hours before the two football giants meet in the Champions League, with rumors circulating that the Dutch defender accepted Liverpool’s offer after Los Blancos showed no interest.
Van Dijk was in the middle of a season-long impasse over his future at Anfield, as the contracts of the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah were due to expire at the end of this season. In the end, Salah and Van Dijk opted to remain on Merseyside and signed new contracts, but the England right-back decided to part ways with the club to join rivals Real Madrid on Tuesday night.
Alexander-Arnold is expected to return to action against his former club in the next Champions League match, but AS reports that things could have gone differently. The paper claims Van Dijk is awaiting talks with the Spanish giants and that his agent has contacted the club about a possible transfer.
However, no such opportunity came along and he committed his future to Liverpool. It was only in April that it emerged that the Liverpool captain had extended his contract beyond the Premier League winning season.
However, after a 2-0 league win over Real Madrid in the previous tournament less than a year ago, Van Dijk was questioned about a possible move to Spain. “What a straightforward question. You don’t get asked that directly[in Britain],” he said.
“But listen, there’s nothing I can say at the moment. Right? I don’t know. Pushed again, he added: “But (Antonio) Rudiger will be there, no?”
Liverpool will be hoping to pick up a second win in their last two Champions League games, but a win against Xabi Alonso’s side on Tuesday night would be another morale booster following Saturday’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa.
The success ended a losing streak in the Premier League, and ahead of the match against the previous Champions League winners, Van Dijk revealed that opportunities like this are what players “live for”. He said in the program notes: “Saturday was certainly a step in the right direction, but now we need to follow it up with another great performance in an important match.
“And there is no bigger game than Real Madrid at Anfield in the Champions League. Needless to say, we are all really looking forward to this challenge and I’m sure you are too. It’s a night to live for as a player.”
