According to Eurosport, Liverpool will prioritise a new contract for stalwart Virgil van Dijk over a renewed deal for Mohamed Salah, despite the vastly different attitudes and attention to the pair’s future.
This news comes in the week that Salah doubled down on his non-committal comments regarding a future at Liverpool, with the ace’s controversial interview with a branch of Spain’s AS followed by another rendition of “it’s in the club’s hands” to Norwegian outlet TV2 this week.
Dean Jones claims for Eurosport that Salah’s mixed comments are being seen by the club as am effort to push for an improved contract.
It’s added that Van Dijk is expected to be tied down to a new contract by the summer, which has always been the plan from the Reds, with this matter set to be ‘revisited in the coming weeks’.
Eurosport report that the 29-year-old is ‘certain’ to be handed terms worth more than the basic £200,000-a-week that Salah earns, leaving Van Dijk in line to be the club’s new highest earner.
It’s added that Liverpool will not be ‘pressured’ into handing Salah a new contract and with the Egyptian tied down until the summer of 2023 that seems like the smart stance to take.
Van Dijk is currently recovering from a long-term knee injury, whilst some may question the decision to work on a new contract for the defender with this in mind, it could be a shrewd move by the Reds.
Sorting the centre-back out before he returns to action, or in the early stages of such, may take some pressure and a massive weight off of the Dutchman’s shoulders.
There’s just a year of age between the pair, it may even be smarter for Jurgen Klopp and Co. to establish the long-term future of their defence and thus foundation of the team before negotiating with Salah.