Preston leading race for Liverpool starlet Sepp van den Berg
Preston North End are pushing to sign Liverpool centre-back Sepp van den Berg on loan after the Reds decided he needs more first-team experience.
Even with all Liverpool’s centre-back injuries (and there’s been a lot of them), the 19-year-old hasn’t made a single appearance for Jurgen Klopp’s senior side, coming closest with an appearance on the bench in the Carabao Cup third-round against Lincoln City.
Klopp has preferred both Nat Phillips and Rhys Williams as emergency centre-backs because of their recent experiences in senior football, and according to Football Insider, the time has come for Van den Berg to head out on his first loan.
Interestingly, heading into this season, it was Van den Berg who had the most senior experience out of the three. He made 22 appearances for Eredivisie side PEC Zwolle between 2018 and 2019, but the problem was that Klopp wanted his first-team players to have more recent senior game time under their belt.
Phillips spent last season on loan with German second-tier side Stuttgart, while Williams was playing non-league football with Kidderminster Harriers, but those spells were enough to see them move ahead of Van den Berg in the pecking order.
To give the 19-year-old Dutchman the experience he needs, Liverpool have agreed to loan him out for the remainder of the campaign, and it’s Championship side Preston who are leading the race for his signature.
There are a number of other second-tier sides keen on the Dutchman, while interest from Europe is in no short supply, but Preston are believed to be pushing hardest for a deal amid fears they could lose star defender Ben Davies.
Liverpool are prepared to let Van den Berg go as he is not seen as an answer to their defensive struggles. Instead, Klopp hopes to sign a new senior centre-back before the transfer window closes.
With such little time left in the window, options are limited for Liverpool. The likes of Arsenal’s Shkodran Mustafi and New York Red Bulls‘ Aaron Long have both been mentioned as emergency signings, but talks are still ongoing.