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Sepp van den Berg might currently be catching the eye of Arne Slot and his backroom team after reporting back to the AXA Training Centre
The centre-back reportedly still wants to leave Liverpool this summer in search of first team football.
Van den berg said as much himself during the close-season, demanding to leave after a successful season on loan at Mainz 05, and hitting out at the Reds for pricing him out of a summer transfer after placing a €20m asking-price
the Bundesliga club want to keep him, with sporting director Christian Heidel twice opening up about their ongoing pursuit of the Dutchman.
Heidel
“The only one who has made a decision is Sepp,”
“He definitely wants to stay in Mainz. He has said that very clearly in public.”
“It’s difficult, I can’t do that (speed up negotiations). We’re waiting. We’ve been in contact with Liverpool several times.
"When Liverpool starts training, there won’t be a central defender there because they’re all spread out at the European Championships and the Copa America and then they want to take a look and take their time.
“Sepp has made it clear that he would really like to stay in Mainz.
“We would really like to keep him, now Liverpool have to play along too. We’re giving Liverpool the time and we’re taking the time.”
The European Championships and Copa America both come to an end on Sunday, with Liverpool set to remain without three of their four senior centre-back options until August
the Dutchman will likely have to continue to wait for his future to be resolved.
It’s worth noting that Van den Berg has impressed Slot during the first week of pre-season
Wanting to give the defender the chance to impress, the Athletic have reported that the club have already turned down offers from Mainz and VfL Wolfsburg, while PSV Eindhoven are also said to be interested in the Dutchman.
Liverpool had previously been tipped to move for a new centre-back this summer following Joel Matip’s exit at the end of his contract
Having previously called off the search for a new centre-back last summer after being impressed by Quansah in pre-season
It remains to be seen whether the presence of Van den Berg could prompt a similar conclusion at Anfield this summer.
Recent reports in the Netherlands claim that the 22-year-old has actually requested that Liverpool lower their £20m asking-price in order for him to secure a move away
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