Captain Virgil van Dijk has expressed his affection for Liverpool and his desire to remain with the club during its transitional period following the departure of manager Jurgen Klopp.
Klopp is set to leave Anfield after a nine-year tenure at the end of the season, with Feyenoord’s Arne Slot confirmed as his successor.
With van Dijk’s contract due to expire at the end of the 2024-25 season, there has been some speculation about the future of the Netherlands center-back at the club.
“There will be a big transition and I am part of that,” Van Dijk, 32, said.
“I think the club is very much busy with who is going to be the new manager and that is the main focus.
“Like I said I am very happy here, I love the club and you can see that as well.
“It’s a big part of my life already, and that is all I can say.”
Following their 4-2 victory against Tottenham on Sunday, Liverpool will next visit Aston Villa before returning home to face Wolves on May 19 in what will be Jurgen Klopp’s final match as manager.
Currently, the Reds are third in the Premier League standings, trailing Manchester City by four points and Arsenal by five, with just two games remaining in the season.
During Klopp’s tenure, Liverpool has secured six major trophies. His successor, Arne Slot, who has won the Eredivisie and Dutch Cup with Feyenoord, has yet to manage a team outside of the Netherlands.
“There will be a lot of changes happening and, I wouldn’t say scary is the right word, but it is quite interesting and exciting what will happen now,” Van Dijk said.
All of Klopp’s major trophies have come since Van Dijk joined for £75m from Southampton – then a world-record fee for a defender – in January 2018.
“I am really proud I played for him, fought for the badge and him and count the success we had over the years as well,” said the defender.
“It will be emotional on the last day but it is a part of life sometimes. Many things are happening behind the scenes but we focus on matchdays and that is our duty, our job and we want to perform for the last six points.”