Virgil van Dijk delivered a contract message to Liverpool, while Joe Gomez is the latest to join Chelsea

Paul Gorst provides you with his weekly Liverpool Notebook, which includes the most recent updates on Virgil van Dijk’s future and Joe Gomez’s circumstances.

Liverpool is getting ready for their first Premier League home game of the new season on Sunday afternoon against Brentford. This weekend’s competitive game will give new head coach Arne Slot his first taste of the Anfield atmosphere after the team’s 2-0 victory against newly promoted Ipswich Town last week.

Prior to the game, the Reds are still connected to a plethora of transactions, and although though Slot’s group is the only Premier League team without new players this transfer window, the head coach has stated that the hunt for Richard Hughes, the sports director, is still underway.

Paul Gorst provides you with the latest off-season Reds news in his Liverpool Notebook ahead of another action-packed weekend at Anfield.

In anticipation of a possible Liverpool departure before the August 30 transfer deadline, Joe Gomez is still considering his options, although it now appears highly unlikely that he will be heading to Chelsea.

Although it is understood that the Reds have not spoken with the Londoners regarding a possible deal for the England defender, it was believed that Chelsea had spoken with Gomez’s representatives and evaluated the pros and cons of a possible move for the player after he was left out of the Reds’ matchday squad for Saturday’s trip to Ipswich Town.

While Gomez was respected at Stamford Bridge, all of their efforts were focused on finalising the deals that brought Joao Felix back to the team and sent Conor Gallagher to Atletico Madrid. As of earlier this week, the emphasis was shifted to departures from an incredibly large squad. Chelsea seems to have decided not to pursue a trade at this point.

Speaking on Wednesday, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca acknowledged that Felix’s arrival has merely increased the team’s size and that as many as “15 or 20 players” are being trained away from the starting lineup for the upcoming season.

The club is looking into things more after Saturday’s omission at Portman Road, but a move for Gomez has been downplayed by individuals with knowledge of the matter. A sort of firesale will now be conducted in west London.

Although the 27-year-old’s camp is considering their options prior to the deadline, Liverpool has stated that he is still an important member of the team at the AXA Training Centre and may be considered for Sunday’s visit from Brentford.

Newcastle United, who engaged in discussions for a £45 million purchase in late June in an effort to comply with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules, is one door that may be closing.

The Magpies, who have been eager to bolster their centre-back position all summer, are said to have shifted their focus to Edmond Tapsoba of Bayer Leverkusen after several bids for Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace were rejected. Any agreement for Tapsoba or Guehi would undoubtedly put a stop to Gomez’s interest.

However, reports on Thursday morning indicated that Newcastle’s efforts to sign England international Guehi were making headway. As a result, Palace may be searching for a Premier League-caliber centre-back. Liverpool, on the other hand, is not in a big hurry to let go of a highly regarded and dependable player in the lineup.

A contract standoff persists, but Van Dijk still has “years left” in him.

In the meantime, Virgil van Dijk is expected to be at the top for many years to come as his Liverpool contract dispute continues.

The legendary Sami Hyypia believes that Van Dijk has everything needed to play much closer to his 40s, having witnessed the Netherlands captain turn 33 in June. The Reds captain revealed following the 4-1 victory against Sevilla that no deal had been tabled by the club.

According to Hyypia, “I think he can play at this level for years,” the ECHO is told. He still has a lot of years at this level because I was 38 when I finished. The season prior (22–23), I believe I was a little depressed because of the criticism and comments that he wasn’t performing at his (normal) level.

“People will criticise him even if he drops a little bit because he has raised the bar so high.” He remains, in my opinion, one of the greatest centre backs in the world, and I believe that he will remain such for a very long time.

He is crucial, in my opinion, for the younger players as well. Jarell (Quansah) expressed in an interview how vital Virgil has been to him, and I believe Virgil is that kind of leader on the pitch as well. Additionally, those around him play better and exude greater confidence when he speaks.

Thus, he will be crucial to us this season and will continue to be in good health. He has a great sense of the game, so you don’t always have to go at full speed. Reading the game was a big part of my game plan, and I tried to be where the striker intended to run when the ball came to me.

“However, having both of them allows you to read the game and be fast enough to make up for mistakes when you lack speed. My shortcoming was that I never had enough speed to make up for it; I always needed someone to run for me.”