Van Dijk drops big hint about new contract and the club's intentions for the summer transfer window

VIRGIL VAN DIJK has given the biggest indication yet that his new contract will be made official this week as the club captain revealed Liverpool are “planning to make it a big summer” in the transfer window.

- By PAUL GORST

The Reds skipper is on the cusp of signing a new two-year deal to follow on from Mohamed Salah, which will take him up to 2027 as one of the highest-paid players at Anfield.

Van Dijk provided the decisive contribution on Sunday as his late header was enough to ensure Arne Slot's Premier League leaders beat West Ham 2-1 to go 13 points clear of Arsenal in second.

It means the Reds now need just six points from the final 18 on offer to make sure of a second title in five years and a 20th overall, and Slot’s side could even be crowned champions on Sunday if they beat Leicester City and Arsenal lose at Ipswich Town.

Speaking after his match-winner against the Hammers, Van Dijk hinted the club are gearing up for an important summer ahead of the new season which he expects to be a part of.

“I think Liverpool should be able to challenge for titles in the upcoming years,” Van Dijk said.

“Whatever happens in terms of players going out, players coming in, I think it should be a big summer.

“I think they're planning to make it a big summer, so we all have to trust the board to do the right job.

“If you take it all the way back to the [previous] summer, I didn’t have a proper pre-season.

“I came in on the Monday before we played Sevilla (pre-season friendly on August 11).

“I played 90 minutes straight away, then the following week it was Ipswich and then you're just back into it.

“You don’t have time to work on what the manager really wants in terms of a training camp.

“This year, there is a training camp and there is time for the team to work on what the manager wants and I think that will then improve the team.

“There are still so many things to improve, but we shouldn't forget the quality that the Premier League possesses because we see it.

“If you look at other results, Brentford got a draw at Arsenal, Chelsea versus Ipswich was a draw. It's difficult and it showed.