Liverpool have turned down an offer of €10m (£8.4m) from PSV Eindhoven for Sepp van den Berg.
The Dutch defender has returned to Liverpool from a loan spell at Mainz in 2023-24, where the centre-back made 33 appearances in the Bundesliga, scoring three goals.
Van den Berg ranked second among all u-23 defenders in Europe’s top five leagues for percentage of duels won last season (65%), behind only Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite.
Clubs across Europe are targeting a deal for the 22-year-old, though Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Liverpool have rejected an opening proposal from PSV.
Arne Slot is currently assessing the defender during the Reds’ pre-season preparations with Liverpool yet to replace Joel Matip in the transfer market. Should Van den Berg be allowed to leave, he is valued at around £20m.
“I spoke with (Slot) on my first day. He said to me I have to show myself in pre-season,” Van den Berg said this week.
“I had my own visions, I want to play. We will see what happens. But I am happy here. My goal is to play football next year so we will see if it is here or somewhere else.
“Of course, I am here now. Liverpool is one of the biggest, if not the biggest club in the world. It has always been my dream. I am here to show myself I am Liverpool worthy. If he gives me a chance and likes me, there’s a big chance of me staying.
“But we are still early in the window, we will see. I was a boy when I came here, 17. I have done one and a half years in the Championship, two years in the Bundesliga. I am still young but I feel very old! It’s about game time and experience. If I get it here, there is no better place to be.”