Sepp van den Berg could yet save his Liverpool career ahead of the start of pre-season.
This follows a public outburst from the on-loan centre-half to the Dutch media. The 22-year-old had told De Telegraaf that he was frustrated with the lack of playing opportunities on offer at Anfield, going as far as to claim the club was hindering his future in the game.
“It will be interesting to see what happens with another centre-back, Sepp van den Berg,” James Pearce reported for The Athletic.
“He’s had an excellent season on loan at Mainz in Germany and they are keen to keep him. But as I reported recently, Liverpool value him at around £20million and that is well out of their price range.
“If Liverpool don’t get an offer that matches their valuation and he impresses Slot in pre-season, he could yet stay.”
The ex-PEC Zwolle star’s terms with Arne Slot’s outfit are set to run out in the summer of 2026.
Empire of the Kop on Instagram (@empireofthekop) HERE
READ MORE: James Pearce responds to Liverpool fan query over Bryan Mbeumo links
READ MORE: Elon Musk’s AI predicts how Arne Slot’s first season at Liverpool will go
Does Sepp van den Berg have a future at Liverpool?
You can never say never! That said, it’s our opinion here at Empire of the Kop that such a scenario would lean on the unlikely side.
It’s worth balancing that claim with the fact that Van den Berg has indeed enjoyed a positive loan spell in Germany by all accounts.
With that in mind, despite his protestations over the valuation Liverpool have set for his services, we’re quite justified in demanding £20m for an exciting young defender.
We’ll reserve full judgement until pre-season, of course, should the centre-half not part ways with the club when the summer window opens.