Liam Duckstein
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has made it clear—he wants Mohamed Salah to remain at Anfield for the long haul. The Dutch defender’s plea comes after Salah’s standout performance in Liverpool’s 3-0 FA Cup victory over Brighton, where the Egyptian forward scored and provided an assist.
Salah, 33, has been a polarizing figure in recent months. In December, he publicly criticized the club, claiming he had been “thrown under the bus” amid a rough patch in form. His relationship with manager Arne Slot also appeared strained. But since returning from the Africa Cup of Nations in January, Salah has been a constant presence in the starting XI—delivering two goals and four assists in that span.
His current contract runs until 2025, and with nine years already spent at Liverpool, speculation about his future is growing. Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad attempted to sign him in 2023, and the league remains a potential destination if he becomes available this summer.
Van Dijk, however, is adamant about Salah’s value. The defender highlighted Salah’s recent assist against Sunderland, which tied him with Steven Gerrard for the most Premier League assists in Liverpool history—92.
“Mo is still a leader and important for me, as a captain, to have around. His presence benefits the team,” Van Dijk said. “He always gives the team more than goals. There’s a lot of focus on his goals because he sets the bar so high—when he doesn’t score as much, he gets criticized.”
Before Saturday’s match, Salah had scored just once in his previous 12 games for Liverpool. His penalty against Brighton marked his seventh goal of the season—a far cry from last term’s 34-goal haul, which helped secure the Premier League title. Overall, Salah has netted 252 times since joining Liverpool in 2017.
Van Dijk, who signed a new two-year deal last April—just a week after Salah extended his own contract—has also faced scrutiny this season. Liverpool currently sit sixth in the Premier League, with only 12 wins from 26 matches.
“Mo is the same as me—he’s got one more year left on his contract, so we’ll see,” Van Dijk added. “I always want him to stay. We’re good friends, and we’ve been through the highs and the not-so-highs together for so many years.”
“He’s a very important Liverpool player who has set the bar extremely high. For us, nothing has changed. There are so many things people don’t see that are important to becoming a successful team. Let’s see how important he still is—and can be—for the rest of the season.”
The message from Van Dijk is unmistakable: Salah’s leadership, experience, and consistency are irreplaceable. Whether Liverpool can convince him to stay beyond next summer remains the big question.