With a two-year contract extension of £400,000 a week, Van Dijk became Europe's highest-paid defender

The reporter reported coldly Although there is no suspense, yesterday Liverpool officially announced that captain Van Dijk renewed his contract for two years, which caused a sensation - renewing Salah and Van Dijk with a super high weekly salary of 400,000 pounds in a row, laying a solid foundation for the team's iteration at both ends of the offensive and defensive ends in the next two seasons. This could be Van Dijk's last professional contract for the 34-year-old in July, and fans have reason to believe he will retire at Anfield.

Van Dijk renewed his contract, and Liverpool's official social media account captioned "It's Always Liverpool", emphasizing that Van Dijk has never considered leaving. It has been rumoured that both Paris and Chelsea are interested in signing the free agent Virgil van Dijk this summer. After the match between Liverpool and Grand Paris in March, French reporters also photographed Van Dijk talking with Grand Paris President Hayrafi and Sports Director Campos in the players' tunnel, which aroused widespread suspicion among the media and fans.

However, Van Dijk proved his loyalty in the end, saying in his official video after the contract extension: "I've always been from Liverpool and I have no doubt that this is where my family and I should live. I'm very happy to have a two-year contract extension with Liverpool. In an interview with The Times in December, Van Dijk had already expressed his love for Liverpool – which he called a "love story" – and said it was destined to continue. Now, the Dutch have delivered on their promises.

Despite the happy ending, Van Dijk's contract renewal process is a long one. In February last year, Gordon, the president of Fenway Inc., contacted his agent, Fervins, and the two sides quickly reached an intention to renew his contract. But with Jurgen Klopp leaving, Hughes and Edwards moving into Liverpool's management, and new coach Slott taking over, negotiations did not continue until the rebuilding of football management was completed.

Similar to Salah, the key factor in Van Dijk's contract extension is the trust of new coach Slot and the "development" of his new abilities. Slot's first call to Virgil van Dijk after taking charge was to hope the captain could attack more from the back, past the defence and into midfield. Van Dijk enjoys the 'attacking defenders' tactic and believes the new boss has taken the 33-year-old to a new level of competition. Van Dijk's admiration for Slott increases the likelihood of a deal being reached on a contract extension.

The price for Liverpool to keep the captain is the same £400,000 a week as Salah, with a two-year contract until the summer of 2027. Previously, the British media generally reported that Van Dijk's weekly salary was 220,000 pounds, but this time it was recognized as a "flat salary" contract renewal, and Van Dijk, who has an annual salary of more than 20 million pounds, has also become the highest-paid defender in Europe, and his weekly salary is tied for second in the Premier League, second only to Haaland (525,000 pounds).

Liverpool are willing to offer the soon-to-be-34-year-old a two-year contract extension with a huge salary, valuing him for the same discipline as Salah. Since suffering a cruciate ligament injury in his knee four years ago, Van Dijk has developed a steady bond with Amsterdam-based renowned physiotherapist Slys. He has a dedicated private team that takes care of nutrition, exercise, and rehabilitation. Van Dijk enjoys rehabilitating by underwater bike in the pool, as well as regular saunas and ice baths. Liverpool's nutritionists made special smoothies, protein shakes and ginger drinks to provide him with enough nutrients.

One of Van Dijk's hobbies is listening to podcasts of sports superstars such as LeBron James, Brady and Federer, all of whom have the ability to perform at their top despite their age. He is confident that he can stay at the top for another three or four years and try to win more trophies.

Since joining in January 2018 with a club-record £75 million, Van Dijk has become a Liverpool legend and an accomplished captain to rival Steven Gerrard in the Premier League era.

With this contract extension, Liverpool is not only a top central defender and team leader, but also an ambassador. Van Dijk's public image is both relatable and imposing, and has important global added value to the team.

Therefore, the British media generally believe that this renewal is expensive, but it is worth the money.

Van Dijk's influence is not limited to Liverpool, he is also very important to the Dutch national team. Last summer, he wrote a letter to each of his team-mates who participated in the European Championships, encouraging them to go all out to win the trophy.

It is worth mentioning that the Netherlands lost to England in the semi-finals of last summer's European Championships, which became one of the reasons for the contract extension - Van Dijk hopes to maintain his form in the Premier League and lead the Dutch team to the World Cup title next year.