Liverpool already has 2027 agreement for defender Virgil van Dijk loves after Arne Slot hint

Arne Slot has already discussed what life after Virgil van Dijk could look like for Liverpool, and the club does have one option it could easily turn to in 2027

Arne Slot has already touched upon life after Virgil van Dijk for Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)

With Arne Slot already looking ahead to life after Virgil van Dijk, it only makes sense that Liverpool might have an eye on potential replacements for its captain.

Fans shouldn’t be worried just yet about a potential departure for the 34-year-old, who is under contract until 2027. But with a deal already done for Jeremy Jacquet’s arrival this summer, and Giovanni Leoni waiting in the wings once he recovers from his ACL injury, it’s clear that Liverpool is thinking long-term about its defense.

Understandably so, with Ibrahima Konate on course to depart this summer and Joe Gomez having been linked with a move away for some time now. And even if Van Dijk ends up staying beyond his current deal, he is much closer to the end of his Liverpool career than the start of it.

"We are aware of the fact that Virgil won't play for this club for 10 more years,” Slot said in his press conference on Thursday.

“But he has one and a half years left. He will be with us for that period and maybe even longer if he keeps staying as fit as he is now.

"As I said before, what a compliment to him, at his age, to keep playing every three days. Not only for our club, but also for his country, for seven or eight months already.

"Hopefully he can stay as fit as he is for multiple years, but this club is not stupid. We do know somewhere in the upcoming years, there is life for this club without Virgil.”

In Jacquet and Leoni, we have got a glimpse of the long-term plans for Liverpool, but no matter how highly-rated the pair is, they’ll need some more reinforcements. As luck would have it, the Reds already have one option they could easily turn to soon.

Jarell Quansah’s departure last summer came as a surprise, with the academy graduate having broken into the first-team picture just a year earlier under Jurgen Klopp, and he looked destined for a bright future at Anfield.

He could, however, still make a name for himself at Liverpool, despite joining Bayer Leverkusen. As part of the deal that took him to Germany, the Reds inserted a buy-back clause thought to be worth around $69 million, which will be active in 2027.

Liverpool has a buy-back clause on Jarell Quansah following his move to Bayer Leverkusen(Image: Rene Nijhuis/MB Media/Getty Images)

That would of course line up with the end of Van Dijk’s contract, and the Netherlands international has already given his seal of approval to the 23-year-old.

“I was never this far, doing it consistently — like Ibou [Konate] and Jarell — when I was that young. He just has to keep going,” Van Dijk said of Quansah back in 2023.

“There will be times when it’s tough, that’s absolutely normal, but it’s about how you deal with that. He’s a good boy.

“Mentally, he’s in the right frame of mind and that’s a good start. I’ll be there for him, whenever he needs. He’ll be just fine.”

Virgil van Dijk spoke highly of Jarell Quansah before the latter's departure from Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)

In another interview, Van Dijk said of his fellow center-back: “The sky is the limit. He just has to stay humble and keep working hard, keep improving, because there will be a lot of bumps along the road as well.”

Quansah has made a positive start to life at Leverkusen, having now established himself as a regular starter and earning plaudits for his performances, including his display in the Champions League win over Manchester City back in November.

There will be obvious questions over Slot’s thoughts on him, given Quansah’s exit was sanctioned under the Dutchman’s leadership, and he did find appearances much harder to come by in his last season at Anfield. Should he continue to impress though, Liverpool might well have its replacement for Van Dijk ready to go next year.