Liverpool news: Virgil van Dijk contract update as Arne Slot readies for Leipzig​

Virgil van Dikj has revealed negotiations around a new contract have started but Liverpool are yet to agree terms with their captain ahead of Champions League clash

​Virgil van Dikj has revealed negotiations around a new contract have started but Liverpool are yet to agree terms with their captain ahead of Champions League clash Virgil van Dikj has revealed negotiations around a new contract have started but Liverpool are yet to agree terms with their captain ahead of Champions League clash   

Liverpool are gearing up to face RB Leipzig in the Champions League on Wednesday night with fresh optimism that captain Virgil van Dijk might sign a new contract to remain at the club beyond the summer.

And after Curtis Jones shone in the win over Chelsea on Sunday, having become a dad last week, Arne Slot’s team are in high spirits and are top of the Premier League.

They do, however, have Manchester City right behind thanks to a late win at Wolves that Pep Guardiola felt carried remnants of Jurgen Klopp’s Reds at their most thrilling.

Here are the big stories from in and around Anfield over the past 24 hours.

Van Dijk update

Virgil van Dijk has revealed discussions are “ongoing” with Liverpool over a new contract – but admits he has no idea yet if he will be at the club next season.

The Dutch defender delivered the update after his side’s 2-1 win over Chelsea on Sunday as he claimed he does not know what “the future brings” for him.

Van Dijk, 33, is out of contract at the end of the current season and can speak to foreign clubs from January if a new deal is not agreed. The Liverpool captain says his representatives are talking to the ‘right people’ and that his full focus is on the Reds.

Jones reminder

Curtis Jones slept in the spare room on Saturday night before Sunday’s star show against Chelsea.

Yet at times during the Liverpool midfielder’s career he must have felt like a spare part at Anfield. Jones, 23, capped a special week with a man-of-the-match display and the winner against Chelsea after his partner Saffie Khan gave birth to a baby girl, Giselle, just days before.

It meant he had to move rooms to get his rest before Sunday’s game at Anfield which restored the Reds to the top of the Premier League table. But the performance was another wake-up call for anyone who has forgotten the talent the England international has.

MI News/NurPhoto)

Pep pride

Pep Guardiola admitted Manchester City are not used to finding Jurgen Klopp-like late winners after their late show at Wolves.

John Stones ‘ header in the 95th minute saw them snatch all three points from the Premier League strugglers. City have rarely relied upon late goals to win games, often controlling them from an early stage, but their win at Molineux showed their ability to rally late on in games

Liverpool became renowned for playing until the final moments when they had Klopp at the helm. Guardiola watched on as the Reds often landed three points late in the day – seeing them do so numerous times during their epic title battles.

And Guardiola is happy to take a page from his great rival’s book.

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