Virgil van Dijk insists he wants to be part of ‘big transition’ at Liverpool

Virgil van Dijk has little more than a year left on his current deal at Liverpool but looks likely to work under his compatriot Arne Slot next season. Photograph: Paul Greenwood/Shutterstock

Virgil van Dijk has paid tribute to Jürgen Klopp and insisted he wants to be part of the “big transition” that will take place at Liverpool following the German’s departure from the club.

Klopp has two games remaining as Liverpool manager – away at Aston Villa next Monday before what is sure to be an emotional occasion at Anfield for the visit of Wolves on the final day of the Premier League season. No doubt there will be tears in the stands as Klopp says goodbye after nine-and-a-half hugely successful, and transformative, years on Merseyside, with his exit inevitably leading to speculation about the future of his players.

Come the end of next month, Van Dijk will have 12 months remaining on his current deal and, having been at Liverpool since January 2018, he could be forgiven for feeling the time would be right for him to also depart. But the club captain, who has returned to top form this season, has said he wants to remain in situ and work under Klopp’s successor, who is highly likely to be his Dutch compatriot, Arne Slot.

“The focus is now on the last two games and then the club will focus on who the new manager is and there will be a big transition and I am part of that,” said Van Dijk. “There is nothing for me to discuss [regarding my future] because there is no news. 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.

“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. So let’s see.”

Van Dijk became the world’s most expensive defender when Liverpool acquired him from Southampton for £75m a little more than six years ago and has gone on to become a Premier League, European and world champion at the club. Little wonder that the 32-year-old is full of praise for the man who put his trust in him and oversaw that glory. “He is a fantastic manager, a great human being and we have a great relationship,” said Van Dijk of Klopp. “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.

“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.”

One high-profile player whose future at Liverpool appears uncertain is Darwin Núñez. The Uruguay forward has had a successful second season at the club, scoring 18 goals and providing 13 assists in 52 appearances, but he has come under criticism following a string of poor performances in recent weeks. On Monday, following Liverpool’s 4-2 victory over Tottenham, he appeared to have deleted the vast majority of Liverpool-related content from his Instagram account.