Virgil van Dijk decision made after Mohamed Salah extends Liverpool contract | OneFootball

Virgil van Dijk will follow in Mohamed Salah's footsteps and sign a new two-year deal with Liverpool before the end of the season, multiple reports state.

Buoyed by the confirmation that Salah will extend his Liverpool career until the summer of 2027, fans on the red half of Merseyside are on the cusp of celebrating another coup for the club's technical department.

Van Dijk revealed that "progress" had been made in his ongoing negotiations with Liverpool earlier this week and numerous outlets report that an agreement has been all but finalised. The Times bluntly describe the Dutchman's extension as a certainty while Fabrizio Romano proclaimed "agreement done".

All that is missing from the document - which has been supposedly signed off by the player's lawyers - is Van Dijk's signature. An announcement is expected before the Premier League campaign concludes on 25 May.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot would not be drawn on Van Dijk's as yet unconfirmed contractual status. "I think you know the answers - the boring answer as always," the Dutch coach told his press conference on Friday morning.

Virgil van Dijk (right) and Mohamed Salah are both set to stay on Merseyside next season / Carl Recine/GettyImages

"I can tell you that I am very happy with Virgil this season," Slot added. "He's been incredible for us - even in the last few games, where maybe there were moments were he could've done better. But if you look at the other 89 minutes, he is such an important player for us.

"Let's hope he can do the same - I just hope with Mo and he can do the same on Sunday again, being our leader again as he has always been this season, against West Ham."

Liverpool are just four wins away from lifting the Premier League title for only the second time in the club's modern history. Salah's decision to stay on Merseyside was underpinned by the team's continued ability to challenge for titles. With Van Dijk expected to join the Egyptian in next season's squad, Liverpool will have a strong chance of adding to the club's trophy cabinet in the near future.