Sepp van den Berg, a 22-year-old defender on loan at Mainz last season, made 33 Bundesliga appearances and his reputation is growing with continued good performances.
In this summer’s transfer window, several clubs from Germany and the Netherlands have shown interest. One of these clubs, Christian Heidel, who is the sporting director at Mainz, where the player spent last season, mentioned the case.
He has stated that the club and the player are compatible, but that he cannot afford to pay the £20 million demanded by Liverpool.
“We would like him to stay, and Sepp would also really like to do it. But we also respect that Liverpool have not decided about it yet.”
“We will not buy a player for over £20 million, which is what Liverpool want. Our club cannot do that.”
Sky Germany
The appointment of Arne Slot as manager could see a reshuffle in the pecking order of the centre-backs. Jarell Quansah, who emerged last season, has been in good form in pre-season and the Dutch centre-back is also in good form.
Meanwhile, it has been suggested that Liverpool may be open to selling Joe Gomez, who is said to be looking for a new challenge, and when they were negotiating with Newcastle over Anthony Gordon, Liverpool are reported to have given the go-ahead on terms to offer Gomez.
Van den Berg has the potential to be a key player in the next era as Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk becomes a veteran, but Liverpool may switch to a policy of using four players on the final line, including Ibrahima Konate.
Liverpool’s reinforcements are expected to move soon, but with what team will they start the new season…?