Liverpool could ditch free agent to sign Mohamed Salah’s successor after ‘transfer request’

Sepp van den Berg may currently be attracting the attention of Arne Slot and his backroom team after reporting to the AXA Training Center for the start of pre-season, but the centre-back wants to leave Liverpool this summer in search of first football of the team.

He said as much himself during the short season, asking to leave after a successful season on loan at Mainz 05 and hitting out at the Reds for taking him out of the summer transfer window after putting a price tag on him asked for 20 million euros. For the record, the Bundesliga club want to keep him, with sporting director Christian Heidel speaking twice about their continued pursuit of the Dutchman.

“The only one who made a decision is Sepp,” he said Kicker last month. “He definitely wants to stay in Mainz. He made that very clear in public.”

READ MORE: Liverpool to bring in vital new member of ‘leadership’ scouting and recruitment team

READ MORE: Liverpool seal quiet signings as club’s transfer strategy leaves Premier League rivals frustrated

Meanwhile, speaking to Sky Germany, he said: “It’s difficult, I can’t do that (accelerate negotiations). They were waiting. I have been in contact with Liverpool several times.

“When Liverpool start training there won’t be a centre-back there because they are all spread out at the European Championships and the Copa America and then they want to have a look and take their time. Sepp made it clear that he would very much like to stay in Mainz. We would really like to keep him, now Liverpool have to play together too.

The European Championships and Copa America conclude on Sunday, with Liverpool set to be without three of their four senior centre-back options until August. Joe Gomez is part of England’s squad to compete in the Euro 2024 final against Spain, while Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate have just started three-week breaks following their midweek semi-final exit from the competition.

Consequently, with Jarell Quansah and Nat Phillips, who is likely to leave Liverpool this summer, the only other recognized first-team centre-back options beyond Van den Berg involved in pre-season, the Dutchman will likely have to continue to wait for the future to be solved.

It’s worth noting that Van den Berg impressed Slot in the first week of pre-season, and the Reds could end up hoping he sticks around. Wanting to give the defense a chance to impress, at Athletic have reported that the club have already turned down bids from Mainz and VfL Wolfsburg, while PSV Eindhoven are also said to be interested in the Dutchman.

Liverpool have previously been tipped to move for a new centre-back this summer following Joel Matip’s exit at the end of his contract, although while boasting interest in Lille’s Leny Yoro, the club’s stance is currently that strengthening the heart defense is not immediate. priority.

The French centre-back, who has been considered separate from anticipated transfer plans, is still expected to move to Real Madrid. As a result, they have not made a direct move for his services, although Manchester United received a bid for the 18-year-old earlier this week.

Having previously called off his search for a new centre-back last summer after being impressed by Quansah in pre-season, it remains to be seen whether Van den Berg’s presence could prompt a similar conclusion at Anfield this summer. However, that public desire to leave complicates matters, despite the Dutchman attracting attention behind the scenes at the AXA Training Centre.

Recent reports in the Netherlands claim that the 22-year-old has actually asked Liverpool to drop his £20m price tag in order to secure a move. A long-term target for PSV, Voetbal International, transmitted by PSV Insidereports that he has been turned away by interest from the reigning Dutch champions, despite a previous desire to return to Mainz, with the club able to offer the lure of a return to his homeland, starting as a replacement for Andre Ramalho (who moved to Bayer Leverkusen) and Champions League football.

And it suggests that Van den Berg and his management have actually told the Reds that they consider his €20m price tag “disproportionately high” – a position PSV inevitably agree with.

Of course, there would be a relatively simple way to negotiate Van den Berg’s asking price down – and it’s one that would help PSV more than any of the defender’s other suitors. He could also look to move a second player in some sort of swap deal, making two deals at once with Liverpool, who have been no strangers to such a practice in the past.

When they signed Andy Robertson from Hull City in a deal worth up to £10m, Kevin Stewart moved in the opposite direction for £8m, while Ki-Jana Hoever completed a switch of £9m at Wolves when the Reds snapped up Diogo Jota for £45m.

Van den Berg left the club in a sort of swap deal before, moving on loan to Preston North End when Liverpool signed Ben Davies for an initial fee of £500,000 in January 2021. And only last summer, Dominik Szoboszlai took a £60m hit. negotiated with RB Leipzig when they were already discussing a loan move in the opposite direction for Fabio Carvalho.

PSV could perhaps provide the ideal bait for Johan Bakayoko as well. The Reds have been linked with the 21-year-old on a fairly regular basis recently, with the Belgian touted as a possible long-term successor to Mohamed Salah as a prolific and pacey inverted right winger at Anfield on the back of 14 goals and 14 assists -campaign on the way to winning the Eredivisie title.

Salah just turned 32 and is out of contract next summer. Whether or not they sign an extension, Liverpool will need to work on a long-term succession plan as they contemplate life after their long-serving talisman.

Consequently, such a deal could be a way to ensure that all parties are happy, opening the door for Van den Berg to complete a desired exit and for PSV to clear that €20 million hurdle. But if he could be hinted at if he were to hold transfer talks with Liverpool this summer, only time will tell.