Virgil van Dijk calmly explains why he isn’t one bit worried about Alisson exit rumours

Van Dijk has been speaking about the future of his fellow long-time Liverpool teammate, and he suggested that not even Alisson knows at this point what comes next for him, with the captain taking a philosophical stance on the speculation.

The Dutchman said (via Liverpool Echo): “Everyone can feel a certain way about it. There are rumours but if there is anything concrete then we will all find out. For me, I’m never worried.

“There is always going to be a day where you – including myself – will go. If it’s going to happen – and I have no idea about it and I don’t think at this point he has an idea about it – then we will, as a club, adapt to that.

“We have been through everything together, positive things and some negative things unfortunately as well, so it would definitely be a big blow and a miss; but I don’t think, for me, it’s a good idea to think ahead about what could or could not happen.

“He’s very important for me as one of the leaders in the team and I think he is very important on the pitch because I think he is one of the best – in my opinion, the best – goalkeeper in the world. He’s trying to be back as soon as possible to help us for the last four games and that’s our main focus.

“Whatever happens after that is not something you should ask me. Would I love him to stay? Of course, there’s no doubt about that.”

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Alisson won’t stay forever, but it’s not the right time for him to go

The message from Van Dijk seems clear – there’s no need to panic about Alisson leaving just yet.

Liverpool are currently going through a time of enormous transition with the gradual erosion of the squad which gave us the best of times under Jurgen Klopp.

We already know that Mo Salah and Andy Robertson will leave at the end of this season, while our captain and first-choice goalkeeper are in or approaching their mid-30s and have just over a year remaining on their respective contracts.

In an article for The Athletic this week, James Pearce echoed the thought of many a Reds fan by declaring that allowing Alisson to depart in the same summer that we’re losing two other stalwarts in the Egypt winger and Scotland left-back would be a ‘mistake’ by the club.

Every footballer’s career has an expiry date, and we all know that players come and go as the years progress, but it’s essential that Liverpool do everything they can to retain their number 1 for at least one more season.

The finite shelf life is something that Van Dijk acknowledged, but as the captain rightly said, his teammate of more than eight years remains a crucial presence at Anfield. Let’s hope it stays that way for the 2026/27 campaign.