Liverpool have reportedly said yes to two clubs’ offers for Sepp van den Berg, although a clear favourite may now have emerged.
Fabrizio Romano claimed this afternoon that Anfield chiefs had given the ‘green light’ to bids of £20m plus £5m in add-ons from both Brentford and Bayer Leverkusen.
Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg took to X on Wednesday evening with a comprehensive update on the defender’s situation, explaining why the west London side now appear to be in pole position to sign him ahead of the Bundesliga champions.
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The journalist posted: “In the past few days there was a phone call between Xabi Alonso and Sepp van den Berg. Personal terms with SvdB are not an issue. Concrete negotiations with #LFC have taken place as revealed yesterday. Liverpool willing to agree: £20m + £5m add-ons.
“At this stage too expensive for Leverkusen and Bayer 04 only considering to sign the 22 y/o in the event that another defender leaves the club until Deadline Day.
“Stuttgart was also pushing for him until Tuesday. He was their plan A. Now out of the race. Brentford 100% there and willing to pay 20+5 and now waiting for the player‘s decision.”
In the past few days there was a phone call between Xabi Alonso and Sepp van den Berg
Personal terms with SvdB are not an issue. Concrete negotiations with #LFC have taken place as revealed yesterday. Liverpool willing to agree: £20m + £5m add-ons.
At this stage… pic.twitter.com/nmvQaN9mvP
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) August 21, 2024
Liverpool might yet be able to help Leverkusen to sign Van den Berg, with the Reds reportedly eager to beat Atletico Madrid in the race for Piero Hincapie, although Alonso is determined not to sell the Ecuador centre-back (Fichajes).
If the Spaniard is unflinching, that’d appear to give Brentford a straight run at the Dutch defender, who could quickly reunite with Fabio Carvalho, who was also impressive for LFC in pre-season before he was sold to Thomas Frank’s side in a £27.5m deal last week.
Plettenberg’s update lays bare the scale of financial dominance that Premier League clubs generally hold over those from mainland Europe. The Bees finished 16th last season yet are still in a better position to pay for the 22-year-old than the team who romped to the Bundesliga title earlier this year.
For Van den Berg, a move to the west London outfit would enable him to finally prove himself in the English top flight, having never been given the chance to play in the division for Liverpool – all four of his competitive appearances for us came in domestic cup competitions (Transfermarkt).
At the moment, it looks as if we could be seeing plenty more of the Dutchman in England. How ironic would it be if he were to complete a move to Brentford in time to make his debut for the club when they visit Anfield this coming Sunday…
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