"The desire's there on his part" - Journalist provides update on Virgil van Dijk's future at Liverpool

Liverpool have been given a boost regarding the future of their captain Virgil van Dijk. According to reports, there is a 'desire' on the part of the Dutchman to sign a contract renewal with the Reds.

The centre-back's contract expires at the end of the season, which has led to Liverpool supporters sweating over his future. However, according to journalist David Lynch, Van Dijk has told him that he wants to stay with the Merseyside club.

"He has made clear to us, every time I speak to him behind the scenes, he really really wants to stay at Liverpool, so the desire's there on his part," said Lynch on Anfield Agenda's YouTube channel.

Van Dijk signed for Liverpool in January 2018 and has gone on to win the Champions League, Premier League, Club World Cup as well as the domestic competitions with the Reds. He was also named the club captain at the start of last season by former manager Jurgen Klopp.

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"We want to compete until the very last day" - Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk

In a recent interview with ESPN, the Dutch defender spoke about a myriad of topics, ranging from Arne Slot's impact, last season, and their ambitions for the 2024-25 season.

“It’s looking good, it’s looking promising. It’s still a work in progress, still so many things that we can improve but I would say so far, so good. So let’s keep going,” said Van Dijk.

The six-time European champions won the Carabao Cup in Van Dijk's first season as captain of the club. However, they fell short of the title in the closing weeks of the season. Admitting that Manchester City and Arsenal were more consistent, Van Dijk vowed to learn from that experience.

"We were maybe a little bit too inexperienced. We had a little bit of injuries, we were not good enough, maybe the nerves kicked in. That’s definitely something we have to learn," admitted the Dutchman.

"We want to be successful, we want to compete until the very last day in every competition that we play in. We know that is very difficult but we are going to try it, and that’s something I definitely can promise,” said Van Dijk.

Liverpool qualified for the Champions League after finishing third in the Premier League last season, marking a return to Europe's elite after a season out.

"To have Champions League back this year is big and I’m really looking forward to that, I’m really looking forward to being out there again and hopefully being successful," said the Netherlands captain.

Van Dijk captained Liverpool to a 2-0 win away at Ipswich Town to mark the beginning of the Arne Slot era in style. They now host Brentford in their first home match of the season on Sunday, August 25.