Mainz boss makes transfer plea to Liverpool to secure £20m star
The future of Liverpool defender Sepp van den Berg is certainly in flux but there is interest from his former club Mainz.
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Hide AdHaving impressed on loan last season, the Dutchman is highly regarded in Germany. He played a key role in their escape, starting 31 games. Following their 8-1 defeat to Bayern Munich, they went unbeaten in their next nine games, winning five as he grabbed one goal in a brilliant run of form.
Now back at Liverpool, he has reportedly been one of the best performers under Arne Slot during pre-season and he finds himself at an impasse when it comes to his future. With four other centre-backs in the first-team squad, he could stay and fight for his place or hope another club pays his valuation - which is around £20m.
One place that is unlikely to be a destination is heading back to Mainz. Speaking to Florian Plettenburg, the Mainz boss Christian Heidel confirms they want Van den Berg on loan again as they can't afford a permanent deal: "We would like him to stay and Sepp would also really like to do it. But we also respect that Liverpool have not decided about it yet. We will not buy a player for over £20m, which is what #LFC want. Our club cannot do that."
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Hide AdA loan move away seems the most unlikely avenue for Van den Berg. Given he was one of the best young defenders (statistically) last season and his physicality and aerial prowess could easily be a huge bonus for Liverpool this season.
Joe Gomez could leave after it was reported he was involved in a potential deal that included Anthony Gordon that didn’t go through. Virgil van Dijk, while likely to stay, is in the final year of his deal and there is a sense of uncertainty over his future despite his standing.
With less than a month to go in the window, we have been promised signings from reports in-the-know, and defensive additions could be high on the list. At the same time, it would require someone to leave and there is a high chance Van den Berg could leave before Gomez, who is the club’s current longest serving player.
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