Virgil van Dijk has followed Mohamed Salah in committing his future to Liverpool and has signed a new two-year contract.

The Liverpool captain confirmed progress was being made over his contract after the 3-2 defeat at Fulham on 6 April and indicated a deal was close after he scored the winner against West Ham on Sunday. “Everyone knows how much I love this club, and let’s see what next week will look like,” he said.

Liverpool announced on Thursday that Van Dijk had signed the deal, which will extend his hugely successful Anfield career to 2027.

Richard Hughes, Liverpool’s sporting director, has been in contract negotiations with the defender’s agent, Neil Fewings, for months. Despite uncertainty and speculation over Van Dijk’s position, with his previous £220,000-a-week contract due to expire this summer, both parties made clear from the outset they wanted to extend his stay.

Van Dijk will be 34 in July but has enjoyed an outstanding season under his compatriot Arne Slot and reaffirmed his status as one of the finest defender’s in the game.

He has been ever-present in the Premier League and will soon lift Liverpool’s record-equalling 20th league title. Slot’s team require only six points from six games to become champions. The title would be won as early as Sunday should Arsenal lose at Ipswich and Liverpool win at Leicester. It will add to a roll-call of honours for Van Dijk at Liverpool that also includes the Premier League title in 2020, the Champions League, the FA Cup, two League Cups, a Uefa Super Cup and the Club World Cup.

The news comes six days after Salah also signed a new deal to 2027. The third leading Liverpool player out of contract this summer, Trent Alexander-Arnold, is expected to join Real Madrid when his contract expires at the end of June. Liverpool view the retention of Salah and Van Dijk as a statement of their ambition before what the captain recently admitted would be “a big summer” for the club.