Liverpool interest in Premier League breakout star no surprise after major transfer boost

Virgil van Dijk was midway through his customary chat with reporters after his match-winning contribution against West Ham United when the Liverpool captain halted proceedings.

Having spotted Sean Cox, a Liverpool fan who was left with a life-changing brain injury after being attacked outside Anfield in 2018, with his wife Martina as they made their way through the mixed zone, Van Dijk broke off from his conversation to say hello and let them know he would be through shortly to catch up properly.

It was a genuinely touching interaction as the journalists watched on and a moment of off-the-field class from a centre-back who has provided more than a lifetime of them on the pitch as a Liverpool player.

Having later insisted that the announcement of his new deal would not take precedence over the club's day of Hillsborough remembrance on Tuesday, it was another perfect snapshot of just how much of a leader the Reds skipper is both on and off the field.

On it, he is the defensive linchpin who has played every game of a Premier League campaign that is now just two wins from glory. The 33-year-old remains arguably the preeminent centre-half of European football and his new contract is a huge sign that the next two years will be just as exciting as the current campaign, where Arne Slot's men find themselves on the edge of history.

Off the field, Van Dijk's touching interactions with the Cox family, as well his nod to the importance of Hillsborough at Liverpool FC, was further evidence of just why he is the conscience of the dressing-room, striking the right notes when they are most needed.

"The leader he is in and around this AXA Training Centre, that is something I haven't worked with, a player like him in terms of leadership," Slot admitted on Friday. "So, the energy he brings to the team in every single training session and how professional he is for himself but also tries to influence his team-mates, especially the younger ones."

The 'younger ones' Slot refers to is players like Ryan Gravenberch, who follow the lead of the captain and the example he sets, but it could just as easily be a reference to those outside of Anfield, those who may be considering overtures from Liverpool this summer.

If the Reds are to add significantly to their ranks this summer, then it would be a prospect worth considering for any potential target that they will be able to play alongside a player as gifted as Van Dijk for at least the next two seasons.

The new deal, which was officially confirmed on Thursday, means the unthinkable problem of trying to replace the Premier League's No.1 centre-back is not one sporting director Richard Hughes will have to wrestle with just yet.

Crucially, it also affords the recruitment department the time and space to make sure that whoever is Liverpool's defensive rock beyond the Van Dijk years is the right man to succeed a now legendary figure at Anfield.

"[Virgil staying] helps, it's clear that it helps, but it's not the only thing that helps. It's always the complete package," Slot says. So even if Virgil and Mo would not have extended, I think everybody would still see Liverpool as one of the biggest clubs or the biggest club in the world."

Liverpool have been taking a look at their centre-back department with a wider lens view for some time now, with interest in teenager Leny Yoro dating back to last summer before the Frenchman joined Manchester United.

It would be little shock then, to find that speculation around Bournemouth's Dean Hujisen has some substance to it and the 19-year-old would surely jump at the chance to play alongside and learn from someone as decorated and as respected as Van Dijk, particularly given the teenager was a former Dutch youth international before recently pledging senior allegiance to Spain.

It would also be no major surprise if Ibrahima Konate's mind was considerably influenced by the decision of his centre-back partner to commit for a further two years either. Konate was tabled a new contract earlier this season but has yet to make a significant breakthrough in his own negotiations with the club he joined four years ago.

Heading into the final 12 months of his own terms, it's a situation that could dominate the agenda in the same way Van Dijk's has in recent months but the captain's resolution can only be considered a boost for Hughes and co in their efforts to tie down Konate to what, theoretically, are his best years.

In more than one way, Van Dijk is the perfect captain at Liverpool and while his importance will be obvious in the next week or two as the Reds close in on the title, his enduring influence will be felt for more than the next couple of years too.

Click here to read article