Liverpool have reportedly set their demands for youngster Sepp van den Berg, after interest turned into proposals that were simply too low to accept.
Liverpool ‘Have Been Clear’ With Sepp van den Berg Demands
‘No Way’ for £10 Million Deals
Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Liverpool have been clear with clubs that have an interest in van den Berg. Their price tag is £20 million and they will not stoop below this, with two years left on his current deal.
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The Italian journalist continues: Liverpool “are not accepting” £9/10 million proposals, there is “no way”. One club recently interested in van den Berg are PSV Eindhoven, who sent a formal bid to the Reds, two weeks ago, of €10 million. This was understandably “immediately rejected”, though the Dutch centre-back would likely prefer a move back to the Eredivisie, which he left in 2019.
Should Liverpool Keep Sepp van den Berg?
With a £20 million price tag, the FSG-owned club clearly value van den Berg quite highly. The “rising star” played a strong 35 games for Mainz last season and could be ready to step into the first-team within the next couple of years.
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Whilst another loan move seems the best course of action, the player himself may be unhappy with a fourth consecutive temporary transfer. With Joel Matip leaving after the expiry of his contract, there seems to be a rotation spot for van den Berg in the squad, and he could be a valuable asset to keep for the future.
Van den Berg played well against both Real Betis and Arsenal in pre-season; Jarell Quansah integrated himself well into the Liverpool squad last season, and we could see a similar feat from another youth player this season. It seems that keeping him around the squad as a rotation option is a better choice than letting him leave on a permanent, and we could see the centre-back become a starter in the near future.