Club chief claims Liverpool gem would ‘really like’ a move away from Anfield this month
A prominent figure at a European club has claimed that one Liverpool player would ‘really like’ another move away from Anfield before the summer transfer window closes.
As noted by James Pearce for The Athletic, Sepp van den Berg has been excelling for the Reds in pre-season and attracting plenty of interest from Europe, with bids from Mainz, Wolfsburg and PSV Eindhoven having already been rejected for the £20m-valued defender.
The former’s director of sport Christian Heidel has said that he’d like to have the 22-year-old back on loan for a second successive campaign, but conceded that LFC’s valuation has priced Die Nullfunfer out of a permanent move for the Dutchman.
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The Mainz chief said (as relayed by Florian Plettenberg via X): “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 £20m, which is what Liverpool want. Our club cannot do that.”
Mainz Boss Christian Heidel about Sepp van den Berg today:
"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."
Mainz are hoping for another loan deal, while Heidel rules out a permanent… pic.twitter.com/LaR0S9G0oX
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) August 2, 2024
Barring a catastrophe over the next week or so, Van den Berg will emerge as one of the big winners from Liverpool’s pre-season programme.
His future at the club looked bleak just a couple of months ago after an interview in his native Netherlands in which he complained at being priced out of an exit from Anfield. He more recently expressed surprise at his £20m valuation, but in a tone which suggested that he viewed it as a compliment.
The 22-year-old has won plenty of praise for his efforts in training and his performances against Real Betis and Arsenal, but with Ibrahima Konate now back from his post-Euro 2024 break and Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez set to return imminently, competition for centre-back places will intensify significantly.
However, with some doubts emerging over the Englishman’s future this week after reports that Liverpool had agreed a £45m sale to Newcastle in June (which eventually collapsed), the Reds are unlikely to part with both him and Van den Berg.
The Dutchman will almost certainly get a better idea over the next two weeks as to where he stands in Arne Slot’s pecking order. If he’s made to feel valued by the new head coach and senses that he’ll get opportunities at Anfield, he could well stay put despite the widespread interest from elsewhere.
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