LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, August 4, 2019: Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk during the FA Community Shield match between Manchester City FC and Liverpool FC at Wembley Stadium. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Virgil van Dijk set to sign new 6-year Liverpool contract

Virgil van Dijk has reportedly made fresh long-term commitments to Liverpool having agreed to a bumper new six-year deal.

Van Dijk has been nothing short of a revelation since descending on Anfield following a £75 million move from Southampton in January 2018.

The Dutchman has transformed Liverpool’s defensive line and has proven to be a figure of frightening consistency, playing 74 of a possible 78 games in the Premier League and Champions League combined since his arrival.

The PFA Player of the Year and UEFA’s Men’s Player of the Year for 2018/19, and leading Ballon d’Or contender, is a key pillar for Jurgen Klopp’s side in their pursuit for continued success.

And as such it came as huge news when it emerged earlier in the summer that Van Dijk had expressed his desire to extend his stay at the club beyond his current contract, which expires in 2023.

MADRID, SPAIN - SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 2019: Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk kisses the trophy after the UEFA Champions League Final match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Liverpool FC at the Estadio Metropolitano. Liverpool won 2-0 to win their sixth European Cup. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Both the club and his representatives were in no immediate rush, however, as all parties were confident terms would be agreed with ‘minimal fuss’.

And after a busy year of tying down a host of players to new deals, the Dutchman is next in line having agreed to a six-year contract last week, according to the Mirror’s Neil Moxley.

Although tenuous links at best were made by Moxley in relation to Man United’s £80 million deal for Harry Maguire acting as the catalyst for Van Dijk’s new contract, as abovementioned negotiations were ongoing long before such transfer eventuated.

The 28-year-old reportedly earns between £125,000 – £150,000 a week on his current deal, but his new terms, which will run until 2025, is expected to see him move closer to the £200,000 a week mark – on par with Mohamed Salah.

Van Dijk will join the likes of Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino, Salah, Jordan Henderson, Andy Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Rhian Brewster and Divock Origi to put pen to paper on fresh terms.

Meanwhile, James Milner, Joel Matip and Gini Wijnaldum are also all in the frame to be added to the list over the course of the season.

The news comes as a further example of the Reds splashing the cash on keeping hold of and investing in their core group of players for the long-term instead of dipping into the transfer market for new faces.

And Van Dijk’s commitment is yet another sign that Liverpool are no longer the stepping stone but rather the destination for the elite.