Van Dijk in contract talks with Liverpool

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has revealed he has started discussions with the club about a new contract.

The 33-year-old is one of three key Liverpool players who is out of contract at the end of this season, along with Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

"Discussions are ongoing, we will see what happens in the future," said Van Dijk about his own situation. "My full focus is on Liverpool, wanting to win games that are ahead of me and nothing else.

"What the future will bring I have no idea at the moment. I can only tell you that discussions have started and we will see. When it's time to make a decision, you guys [the media] will know it as well."

Van Dijk has played every minute of the Premier League season so far, with Liverpool one point ahead at the top of the table.

Impressively, the Reds have only conceded three goals across their eight matches, with Nottingham Forest the next-best on six goals, having played one match fewer ahead of Monday night's home fixture against Crystal Palace.

Following Sunday's 2-1 victory over Chelsea, Van Dijk provided insight into how the team's defensive mentality has changed under new head coach Arne Slot.

"At the start of the season, we saw numbers about what happens if your opponent is in the final third - how many bodies do we have behind the ball? - and that has definitely changed," explained Van Dijk.

"I wouldn't say it's [just] the last line and the goalkeepers making a difference, it's the guys in front of us, it's a team effort.

"Me and Ibou [Konate] as the centre-backs, or the goalkeepers, will get the credit for the clean sheets but it's about everyone in the team and credit to everyone who is doing that."

Liverpool are next in action on Wednesday night when they travel to RB Leipzig in the UEFA Champions League, before a big Premier League showdown at Arsenal on Sunday.