Liverpool 'slap £20m price tag on defender' who hasn't made a senior appearance

Liverpool have slapped a £20million valuation on a forgotten defender who hasn't made a senior appearance since 2020.

The centre-back in question has been placed on the market but will be assessed by incoming head coach Arne Slot in pre-season.

Slot will be looking for a defender to come in and replace the hole left by Joel Matip, with the German centre-half leaving upon the expiration of his contract.

The Reds already have a wealth of defensive talent with Jarell Quansah breaking through last season to take his place alongside captain Virgil van Dijk, while Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez are also strong options at the back.

Minutes could be hard to come by for anybody outside of those four, and according to the Athletic, the Reds have put a price on 22-year-old Sepp van den Berg.

The Dutch defender returns to Anfield following a successful season-long loan at Bundesliga side Mainz.

Van den Berg made 36 appearances for the German side in the 2023-24 campaign, and the club who finished 13th in the Bundesliga are hopeful of keeping the centre-back.

Liverpool have iterated that there is no option to buy clause in Van den Berg's loan contract, despite reports in Germany saying there is such clause for £4.5m.

Brentford, Wolfsburg, and Ajax are all reportedly interested in the Dutchman, and the Reds have said their valuation of him matches the current market trends.

He moved to Merseyside for £4.4m in 2019 from Dutch side PEC Zwolle, but has found opportunities hard to come by.

Van den Berg has only made four senior appearances during five years at Liverpool - none in the Premier League - the last of which came in the FA Cup in February 2020.

The majority of his time at the club has been spent on loan. The centre-back has had spells at Preston North End and Schalke, as well as his season at Mainz.

While it looks likely that he will leave Liverpool this summer, and with a £20m valuation over his head, the arrival of Slot at Anfield might benefit the defender.

Slot arrives on Merseyside with a reputation of developing untapped potential and likes to provide pathways to the first team for youngsters within his teams.

If the new Liverpool boss is impressed by Van den Berg in pre-season, the club may just take the price tag away from him.