New Netherlands head coach Xavi Hernandez has requested a second meeting with Van Dijk after the pair already spoke on Wednesday, when the Spaniard travelled to Anfield to watch Liverpool's Champions League match against Atletico Madrid, according to journalist Valentijn Driessen on De Telegraaf's Kick-Off podcast.
Xavi, who replaced Ronald Koeman over the summer, will announce his first squad on Friday 18 September, with a press conference to follow the following Monday explaining his selections.
Van Dijk, 35, has 96 caps for the Netherlands and needs just four more appearances to reach a century, but has yet to commit to continuing beyond this international window. He recently confirmed to English media that a conversation with Xavi would take place before any decision on his international future was made.
"I feel that I can still be valuable and important for the team," Van Dijk said.
""If we think the same way about that, we're heading into two good years leading up to Euro 2028. If not, then we'll see."
According to Driessen, clarity is needed within days given next week's squad announcement, and any decision by Van Dijk to step away would likely emerge before the squad is confirmed. The journalist said he remained unconvinced by the defender's recent form, despite acknowledging the lack of ready-made alternatives.
"I find it quite remarkable that he's taking up the fight again at Liverpool," Driessen said. "He signed an improved contract last year, running until the middle of 2027. But whether it will be such a big success with the Dutch national team, I very much doubt. The fact that Xavi wanted a second conversation with him says enough in itself."
Colleague Jeroen Kapteijns pointed to the length of a tournament cycle as the key consideration.
"What you have to look at is that you're starting a cycle towards a tournament. What will he be like in two years? That's a long time in a footballer's life, especially at that age," Kapteijns said.
Driessen, who felt Van Dijk had been "out of tune" at the recent World Cup, said the lack of a clear alternative behind him made the decision more complicated regardless.
"It's not as though someone is banging on the door so hard that you'd say: what's Van Dijk still doing at the national team? So in that sense you could also say: you just have to keep him around for as long as possible," he said.
Xavi is understood to want Van Dijk to defend from a higher starting position than he has done in recent seasons, a demand that echoes his previous handling of Gerard Pique at Barcelona, where the veteran defender lost his place once his positioning began to sit too deep.