Liverpool have reportedly accepted bids of £25m from both Brentford and Bayer Leverkusen for Dutch defender Sepp van den Berg, who can now take his pick of either club.
The former PEC Zwolle man has only made four competitive appearances for Liverpool since joining in 2019, although he excelled during a loan spell in the Bundesliga with Mainz 05 last season.
Van den Berg appeared to make his own Liverpool career crash and burn earlier this summer, when he admitted that he was pining for a move elsewhere and took aim at the Reds for hindering his future career prospects.
After playing a prominent role under Arne Slot in pre-season, Van den Berg changed his tune and opened the door to staying at Anfield, but he would not be a first-choice defender in the 2024-25 season.
As a result, a permanent transfer elsewhere was always expected to be the outcome to the summer saga for the Dutchman, who did not make the squad for Liverpool's opening 2-0 Premier League win over Ipswich Town at the weekend.
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Leverkusen, Brentford 'to battle' for Van den Berg after £25m agreement
A return to his native Netherlands with either PSV Eindhoven or Feyenoord was mooted for Van den Berg, but neither side managed to meet Liverpool's asking price, thought to have been £20m originally.
Now, De Telegraaf reports that both Brentford and Bayer Leverkusen have come forward with £25m offers for the centre-back, which have been accepted, and the decision is now up to the player.
Reds boss Slot would have supposedly been happy to keep Van den Berg on the books, but with Virgil van Dijk, Jarell Quansah and Ibrahima Konate also competing for minutes, he would have been low down the pecking order.
That did not stop Liverpool from trying to convince Van den Berg to stay 'until the last moment', but the 22-year-old is determined to be a first-choice pick at this stage of his career, and the Reds will still make a mammoth profit on their £1.6m man.
Van den Berg is also set for a major wage increase at either Leverkusen or Brentford, whose manager Thomas Frank has supposedly assured him that he will be a cornerstone of their defence, but he could be tempted by a return to Germany after his success at Mainz.
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The Dutchman supposedly has a five-year contract on the table from both clubs, while PSV and Feyenoord were 'blown away' after only offering as much as £12.8m for Van den Berg.
Could Liverpool use Van den Berg money to sign Leverkusen man?
With an extra £25m in a transfer war chest that has remained closed all summer, Liverpool could try to poach one of Leverkusen's own defenders should Van den Berg ultimately choose to link up with Xabi Alonso.
The Reds have been linked with versatile Ecuador international Piero Hincapie - who can play centrally or on the left - for several months, and Leverkusen may be more receptive to bids for the 22-year-old if Van den Berg arrives.
However, much may also depend on the future of Jonathan Tah, who has been the subject of an aggressive pursuit from Bayern Munich, but a deal for the German now appears to be on the brink of collapsing.
Alternatively, Liverpool could use the funds for the transfer Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, as they are believed to be closing in on a deal worth around £30m to sign the Georgia international.
Ben Knapton
