- Liverpool have given the forgotten Liverpool defender a £20m price tag
- The center-back has not played for the Reds for four years after a series of transfers
- His second goal was one of the great goals of the FA Cup… Where have this Man United been all season? Listen to the everything is beginning podcast
Liverpool have priced £20m on a forgotten defender who has not featured at senior level since 2020.
The center back in question has been put on the market, but will be evaluated by incoming coach Arne Slot in the preseason.
Slot will look for a defender to come in and replace the gap left by Joel Matip, and the German center back will leave at the end of his contract.
The Reds already have a wealth of defensive talent – Jarell Quansah broke through last season to take his place alongside captain Virgil van Dijk – while Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez are also good options at the back.
It could be difficult to get minutes for anyone outside of those four and, according to the Athletic, the Reds have put a price on 22-year-old Sepp van den Berg.
Sepp van den Berg was on loan at Mainz in the 2023-24 season, playing 36 games
New Liverpool manager Arne Slot to assess Van den Berg despite defender being on the market
Liverpool have a host of defenders in Van den Berg’s position with Jarell Quansah (left) and Virgil van Dijk (right) the current first-choice pairing.
The Dutch defender returns to Anfield after a successful season-long loan spell at Bundesliga side Mainz.
Van den Berg made 36 appearances for the German team in the 2023-24 campaign, and the club that finished 13th in the Bundesliga is hoping to land the centre-back.
Liverpool have reiterated that there is no option to buy clause in Van den Berg’s loan deal, despite reports in Germany saying there is such a clause for £4.5m.
Brentford, Wolfsburg and Ajax are reportedly interested in the Dutchman, and the Reds have said their valuation matches current market trends.
He moved to Merseyside for £4.4million in 2019 from Dutch side PEC Zwolle but found opportunities difficult to find.
Van den Berg has made just four senior appearances over five years at Liverpool, none in the Premier League, the last of which was in the FA Cup in February 2020.
Most of his time at the club was spent on loan. The central defender has spent time at Preston North End and Schalke, in addition to his season at Mainz.
Van den Berg last played for the Reds in February 2020 in a fourth round replay against Shrewsbury Town.
While he looks likely to leave Liverpool this summer, and with a £20m valuation hanging over his head, Slot’s arrival at Anfield could benefit the defender.
Slot arrives on Merseyside with a reputation for developing untapped potential and likes to offer pathways into the first team for his teams’ youngsters.
If Liverpool’s new manager is impressed with Van den Berg in pre-season, the club may drop his price.