Liverpool working hard to agree new deal with star

Premier League leaders Liverpool will face arguably the toughest challenge of their season so far when they host Manchester City on Sunday. 

The Reds have endured a scintillating start to the season under new manager Arne Slot, and currently sit top of both the Premier League and the Champions League table.

Slot – who took over from Jurgen Clop over the summer – will hope to see his side beat City and extend their lead at the top to a staggering 11 points.

Off the pitch, though, Liverpool still face uncertainty surrounding the futures of three key players, namely Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk.

Now, though, it appears that the Reds are stepping up their efforts to agree a deal with one of the trio.

As reported by Football Insider, the Merseyside outfit are working hard behind the scenes to agree a new contract with club captain Van Dijk.

Van Dijk is currently in the final year of his contract

The 33-year-old is in the final year of his current deal and talks over an extension haven’t yet reached an agreement, but the report claims that Liverpool are in contact with the agents of all three players.

It is also claimed, though, that negotiations with the Dutch defender could prove simpler than talks with Salah, who recently claimed he is ‘more out than in’ when it comes to his Anfield future as he hasn’t yet been offered a new deal.

Van Dijk joined Liverpool from Southampton in January 2018 and has since played more than 280 times for the club across all competitions.

The Netherlands international has lifted no fewer than eight trophies, including the Premier League and Champions League.

In January, all three players will be able to discuss a pre-contract agreement with any overseas club, making Liverpool’s desire to reach an agreement even more pressing.