Liverpool have set an asking price of £20 million for their highly coveted defender Sepp van den Berg, according to Fabrizio Romano.
After coming through the youth ranks at PEC Zwolle, Van den Berg joined the Reds in a deal worth around £1.6m.
However, he barely kicked a ball for the club under the leadership of former manager Jurgen Klopp, managing just four appearances for the first team.
Despite being a prominent figure during pre-season, Van den Berg’s fortunes are unlikely to change under new Liverpool manager Arne Slot.
Van den Berg has just two years left on his contract and Liverpool are looking to bank significant profit from his potential exit.
Rumours making the rounds claimed that the Premier League giants will consider bids of around £10.2m, but Romano has reiterated that the club will accept nothing less than their initial £20m demands.
Van den Berg is highly appreciated in the Bundesliga after an exceptional 2023/24 loan spell at FSV Mainz 05.
Since joining Liverpool, Van den Berg has been sent on loan to Preston North End and FC Schalke 04, but his enourmous talent was on display during his recent stint at Mainz.
The 22-year-old made 35 appearances across all competitions and chipped in with three goals as Mainz narrowly avoided the relegation play-offs by two points.
Van den Berg was in phenomenal form for the 05ers throughout the season.
The talented defender helped to keep eight clean sheets and recorded 1.3 interceptions, 1.2 tackles, 5.3 ball recoveries, and 4.7 clearances per 90 minutes.
He recorded a solid 56% success rate in ground duels, but his true strength was in the air, where he was almost unbeatable with an impressive 69% success rate in aerial battles.
Liverpool are currently short on centre-back options after releasing Joel Matip at the end of last season, but academy talent Jarell Quansah will likely replace the Cameroonian defender.
That paves the way for Van den Berg to secure a permanent exit although Liverpool may have to lower their demands, with interested Bundesliga clubs unwilling to match their asking price.
Stats from Sofascore.com
