£45m Liverpool deal could TORPEDO Virgil van Dijk contract talks

Virgil Van Dijk has been a key pillar of Liverpool's success ever since he arrived at Anfield in 2018.

However, now in the last year of his contract, the Liverpool captain is at risk of leaving the club for free should negotiations for an extension prove unsuccessful.

Read more: Why Liverpool could be about to make DECISIVE Andy Robertson decision

Now into the seventh year of his stay on Merseyside, it's safe to say Van Dijk has made himself at home at Liverpool.

His performances over the years have been staggeringly good in earning himself the reputation of being one of the best centre-backs in the world and ranking amongst the greatest to have ever played in English football.

Winning everything there is to achieve in club football for Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp, whilst dealing with the adversity of his ACL rupture in 2021, the 33-year-old looks as good as he ever has been and is eyeing further success under the leadership of new boss Arne Slot.

Week-in week-out his performances are almost always faultless and despite the uncertainty around his current contract, it's hardly worth contemplating the possibility that he might not be a Liverpool player next season.

Joe Gomez the deciding factor in Van Dijk's contract situation

In an interview with TNT Sports, van Dijk disclosed who his best friend is in football: "I have quite a lot of friends in football, but I think the closest I'm to at the moment is Joe Gomez.

"We've been through everything together here at the club, through the highs and lows and we are very close to each other."

Having been at the club since 2015, Gomez is into his tenth year at Liverpool, but he was close to a move away from the club during the summer.

A rumoured £45million fee had been reportedly agreed with Newcastle, but negotiations ended up breaking down so the England international is to remain on Merseyside for the time being.

However, while not having a guaranteed place in the side, being fielded as a left back for much of last season in Kostas Tsimikas and Andy Robertson's absence, Gomez will likely be looking for a way out soon.

But now we are aware of Van Dijk's deep-lying friendship with Gomez, securing the long-term future of the club's captain could come down to keeping Gomez happy at Liverpool.

The pair were inseparable in the 2019/20 Premier League winning campaign, where they partnered each other for 31 games, winning 27 of them and earning 16 clean sheets.

However, since the recruitment of Ibrahima Konate and the promotion of Jarrell Quansah from the academy, Gomez has featured very little in the centre of defence ever since.

Van Dijk will be free to negotiate with other clubs about his future from January onwards, but earlier this summer he outlined his desire to captain Liverpool and the Netherlands for the next two years.

We will have to wait and see whether a new contract is eventually agreed, but the club's stance on Gomez's future could be pivotal to any decision the Dutchman makes.