Liverpool
Premier League • England
Thriving star Liverpool sold wants to return, with clever clause making deal easy
Brentford centre-back Sepp van den Berg, Liverpool badge
A player Liverpool sold for a package worth £25m has indicated he’d love to re-join the Reds, though he’ll only do so on one condition.
Liverpool are flying high this season in spite of neglecting to strengthen their squad in Arne Slot’s first two windows in charge. Goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili doesn’t arrive until the summer, while Federico Chiesa’s impact has been negligible.
As such, Slot entered the new campaign with a much weaker squad than the one Jurgen Klopp left.
Senior stars Joel Matip and Thiago both retired upon leaving as free agents last summer, while two fringe first-team stars, Sepp van den Berg and Fabio Carvalho, were both sold to Brentford.
Van den Berg netted Liverpool an initial fee of £20m that can rise to £25m through add-ons. A 17.5 percent sell-on clause was also negotiated into the centre-back’s deal.
And speaking to Dutch outlet Voetbal Primeur, Van den Berg has indicated a willingness to return to Liverpool if they come calling.
“I had a few conversations with Slot,” began Van den Berg. “But before the preparation (pre-season) started, I already indicated to the club that I wanted to leave and play minutes.
“I would be lying if I said that I did not dream of returning to Liverpool one day. That is still on my mind. But for now, it was better for my career to take a different path and play a lot.
“That is what I am doing now and that allows me to develop as well as possible.
“After the preparation (pre-season), Liverpool indicated that I had done so well that they wanted me to stay. But I did not really see that happening myself. It was all my choice, I am happy that I now play in the Premier League every week.”
Van den Berg return made easy, but star wants guarantees
As the 23-year-old mentioned, regular playing time was at the forefront of Van den Berg’s mind when pushing to leave Liverpool.
The Reds chose not to sign a replacement, leaving Slot with just four recognised centre-halves to choose from – Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah.
Konate and Gomez have both spent sizeable portions of the season sidelined with injury, with midfielder Wataru Endo even deputising at the heart of defence on occasion.
Had Van den Berg stayed, he’d have been the one to plug the gaps, though he insisted he views himself as a regular starter and not a squad player.
As such, if Liverpool were to make a move to re-sign Van den Berg in the future, assurances over playing time would be expected.
“I would be lying if I said that I didn’t look at that (Liverpool’s centre-back injuries) myself,” added the Dutch defender. “That’s football, you don’t know.
“I did well in the preparation (pre-season) and I really saw myself playing for the club, but not with the credit that I now have at Brentford. I am now a starter who always plays as long as he is fit.
“At Liverpool I would have been more of a player who had to fill gaps. I would rather be that starter. And who knows, if I do well here for two or three years, I will return to Liverpool and be a starter there too.”
The presence of Liverpool’s 17.5 percent sell-on clause effectively means they can sign Van den Berg for less than other clubs.
Indeed, if paying a round figure of £40m, for example, Liverpool would receive 17.5 of that figure (£7m) back, meaning they’d effectively be paying £33m.
TEAMtalk understands Liverpool do intend to sign a centre-back at season’s end, even if Van Dijk pens fresh terms. But for the time being at least, we are not aware of any interest in bringing Van den Berg back to Anfield.
One centre-back who is in Liverpool’s sights is Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen…
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