Liverpool tell Brentford and Southampton to pay £20m to sign former Preston North End favourite

Liverpool have placed a valuation of £20m on former Preston North End defender Sepp van den Berg.

James Pearce, the Liverpool journalist for The Athletic has said the Reds value the centre-back at £20m, following a successful season with Mainz. The 22-year-old missed just one Bundesliga match this season which was through suspension, appearing 36 times in all competition for the German outfit.

His performances have caught the attention of Brentford, Premier League newcomers Southampton and mid-table Wolfsburg, who finished ahead of Mainz this season. It was suggested in Germany that Mainz had an option to buy the player for £4.3m but that is not the case.

Mainz would like to keep him but are likely to be priced out of a move for a player who was considered one of the leading players in the German top-flight this term. The Dutch defender will be afforded the opportunity to muscle his way in to the Liverpool first-team picture when new boss Arne Slot assess his squad in pre-season.

Sepp van den berg has been a Reds player since 2019, after joining from Dutch side PEC Zwolle for a reported £1.3m. He made four first-team appearances for the Anfield outfit before being allowed to join Preston North End in the second half of the 2020/21 season.

He joined when Alex Neil was in charge, but later returned to Deepdale when Frankie McAvoy took over on a permanent basis. Preston remain the club that van den Berg has made the most appearances for having featured 66 times over an 18-month spell. During his time at Deepdale, he helped the club to consecutive 13th-place finishes.

Since finishing up with North End, van den Berg had a loan with Schalke in the Bundesliga last season, but suffered relegation and played only nine times. The six foot four inch defender will now hope to continue his progression either at Liverpool or with one of the several teams chasing his signature.