Van Dijk’s injury forced Liverpool into changing stance on squad contracts

Virgil van Dijk had reportedly agreed terms on a new Liverpool contract before suffering his season-ending ACL injury.

The defender has been at the heart of Jurgen Klopp's side since his £75million arrival from Southampton in January 2018.

But surprisingly the Dutch centre-half remains on the same terms as his original deal.

That is despite helping the Reds win both the Premier League and the Champions League during his time at Anfield.

According to Eurosport, the 29-year-old was set to be offered an improved contract at the start of the current season and an agreement in principle had seemingly been reached prior to his ACL blow.

Focus then switched to Van Dijk's rehabilitation from injury with contract talks now set to be resumed over the coming weeks.

It is likely that the Liverpool hierarchy will prioritise the Dutchman's future over that of Egyptian centre-forward Mo Salah.

The Premier League's top scorer has been angling for a new deal and recently spoke to Norwegian TV about his Anfield future.

He said: "I don't know. If you ask me, I say I want to stay here as long as I can, but as I've said before, it's in the club's hands."

Salah's current contract is rumoured to be worth around £200,000 per week and does not run out until 2023.

And with no other clubs showing any concrete interest in signing the ex-Roma star, Liverpool's attention is on Van Dijk.

The Netherlands captain is set to earn a deal which will eclipse that of Salah's and guarantee his long-term future at the club.

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