Liverpool secure future of key defender after Salah's new deal

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has signed a new contract with the Premier League side.

The Dutch centre back, 33, whose current deal ends this summer, has committed himself until 2027, the club said on Thursday. It comes less than a week after another of Liverpool's superstars, Mohamed Salah, extended his Anfield stay and also just a couple of months before his contract expired.

Speculation about Van Dijk's and Salah's futures had been rife, with both players set to be out of contract at the end of the season. With the Premier League title now within touching distance, both have put pen-to-paper on new deals.

Liverpool lead the table by 13 points with six matches left, meaning they could clinch it after the next round of games. Van Dijk told Liverpool's website he was "very happy, very proud".

"It's a proud feeling, it's a feeling of joy. It's just incredible.

The journey I've had so far in my career, to be able to extend it with another two years at this club is amazing and I'm so happy. "It was always Liverpool.

That was the case. It was always in my head, it was always the plan and it was always Liverpool.

There wasn't any doubt in my head that this is the place to be for me and my family." Meanwhile, Real Madrid are confident of tying up a deal for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is out of contract this summer. The Spanish side are believed to be progressing in talks and Alexander-Arnold's preference is to join the LaLiga club, according to reports.

Van Dijk joined Liverpool from Southampton for a then-world-record fee for a defender of £75m in January 2018. Read more on Sky News:King's wish for 'faith, hope and love'Luxury watch thief's mistakePremier League club's Madrid triumph He has enjoyed a successful spell on Merseyside, winning a Premier League, a Champions League, an FA Cup, and two League Cups in addition to a UEFA Super Cup, a FIFA Club World Cup, and a host of individual accolades.

Van Dijk's form this campaign has put him in contention for player of the year - alongside his teammate Salah - after re-establishing himself as one of the world's best centre-backs following a serious injury in 2020. After scoring a late winner in Sunday's 2-1 win over West Ham, the Dutchman said: "I love the club, that's pretty obvious.

I think you can see that in the way I speak about the club, the way I work for the club in terms of what I do on the pitch and off the pitch, and that will always be the same.".