Dutch legend tips Virgil van Dijk for Anfield stay next season

Jaap Stam is confident that Virgil van Dijk will still be a Liverpool player next season and sign a new deal with the Merseyside club. 

The Anfield skipper is out of contract at the end of the season, but having seen Mohamed Salah commit his future to the club and ink a new two-year deal, there is hope the defender will be the next to put pen to paper. 

Speaking exclusively to DAZN News, thanks to FreeBets, Stam still believes that his fellow Dutchman will end up staying with the Reds. 

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"He's been terrific for Liverpool, of course, in how he's been playing," he said.

"But going towards the end of your contract, you always, especially the age that he is, need to think about how your future needs to be and what you want if you want to make a new step or a different step or get a new challenge.

"So, I understand that it takes a bit longer for him to make a decision. But I think for the club, it would be very weird if you let him go because I still think he's very important for the club.

"I would do everything in my power to keep him within the club because he's outstanding; he's still one of the best, maybe the best defender in the world at the moment. So,  it would be strange to see him leave for himself. He knows what he's got at Liverpool.

"He can still do well under the new manager as well and win a lot of trophies. I think he's got the respect of everybody as well. So, I see him staying at the club to be honest." 
 

Before they can think about next season, Liverpool have to close out the current campaign as they close in on the Premier League title. 

Despite a wobble over the last month, Arne Slot's men are odds-on to be champions once again, and, even as an ex-Manchester United player, Stam says he's proud of Liverpool's Dutch cohort. 

Adding, "I think everybody in Holland is going to be very happy if Liverpool wins the title. 

"For us, maybe for ex-United players, it's a bit different. But we're all very happy that Slot is doing well as a manager and especially for Virgil as well, because he's been such a big name for us Dutch people as well.

"I think everybody's very proud of him as well and what he's been doing for the club, for his career as well, and how he built up his own career,  being so successful. So, yeah, we as Dutch people can only be very proud of the Dutch players in the Liverpool squad and also for the manager." 

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