Liverpool defender Sepp van den Berg is on the verge of a permanent departure from Anfield, with a deal expected to be finalised that will meet their valuation of over £20 million, according to The Athletic.
The 22-year-old impressed during pre-season, leading Liverpool to reject offers from Mainz – where he had a successful loan spell in the 2023-24 season – and Wolfsburg.
Although PSV Eindhoven also expressed interest, head coach Arne Slot was keen to give van den Berg a chance to prove himself ahead of the new campaign.
Van den Berg made the most of this opportunity, which has heightened interest from other clubs.
Brentford are now seriously considering him, along with Burnley’s Dara O’Shea and Sheffield United’s Anel Ahmedhodzic.
Brentford have long been interested in the Dutch youth international and recently collaborated with Liverpool on the transfer of attacker Fabio Carvalho to the west London club.
According to Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen have made contact with Liverpool for the signing of van den Berg.
He posted on X: “Bayer 04 Leverkusen have made contact with FC Liverpool about a potential deal for Sepp van den Berg.
“Interest from Leverkusen now concrete after Van den Berg was on their list as reported.
“Been told that Liverpool demand £25m now!
“Brentford, also there with concrete talks as via @David_Ornstein.
“Leverkusen and Brentford, both clubs now in contact with #LFC to find solutions and agreements.”
Sepp van den Berg, a Netherlands youth international, joined Liverpool FC from PEC Zwolle in June 2019.
As Liverpool’s first signing following their sixth European Cup triumph earlier that month, van den Berg made four first-team appearances during his debut season at Anfield, featuring in both the FA Cup and League Cup.
He was also an unused substitute when Liverpool won the FIFA Club World Cup for the first time, defeating Flamengo 1-0 in Qatar in December 2019.
In February 2021, van den Berg went on loan to Preston North End to gain further experience in the Championship.
His 16 appearances there were impressive, leading to a full season-long loan at Deepdale for 2021-22.
By the end of his loan spells at Preston, van den Berg had made 66 appearances for the club and demonstrated increased versatility, occasionally playing as a right-sided full-back.
After signing a new long-term contract with Liverpool, van den Berg’s development continued with a loan to Bundesliga side Schalke 04 for the 2022-23 season.
Although a ligament injury disrupted his time at Schalke, he returned to the Bundesliga for the 2023-24 season, this time joining FSV Mainz 05.
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