Liverpool to let Sepp Van den Berg go on loan despite defensive crisis

Liverpool willing to let young centre-back Sepp Van den Berg head out on loan to develop despite defensive injury crisis with Preston interested

  • Preston North End are looking to sign Liverpool’s Sepp Van den Berg on loan
  • The Championship side want cover for Ben Davies who is leaving for Celtic
  • Liverpool are willing to let Van den Berg go despite their defensive injury crisis

Liverpool defender Sepp Van den Berg is wanted on loan by Preston North End.

The Championship side want cover for centre-back Ben Davies who has a pre-contract offer to join Celtic in the summer. However, that deal could be brought forward by Celtic as they consider options and Preston want to ensure they have a backup.

The 19-year-old Dutchman joined Liverpool in the summer of 2019 for £1.3million from PEC Zwolle. He has made just four senior appearances for the Reds since, three of those in the EFL Cup and one in the FA Cup.

Liverpool are in talks with Preston North End about defender Sepp Van den Berg going on loan

Preston want cover for Ben Davies (R), whose summer move to Celtic may be brought forward

At the time of signing him, manager Jurgen Klopp told the Liverpool Echo: ‘He’s a wonderful boy and he decided to join us, which is good.

‘It’s a not a long-term project where the boy has to think he has to wait five years to play for us, but it’s not for this moment.’

Van den Berg was booked playing for Liverpool U23s on Saturday in their 6-3 defeat to Manchester United. United’s new signing Amad Diallo scored two while Joe Hugill scored four. 

Liverpool are without their three first-choice centre-backs after Joel Matip’s (L) latest injury

Fabinho (L) is also injured after pulling out before the Tottenham match with a muscle issue

Liverpool are willing to let Van den Berg go out on loan despite their defensive injury crisis as they believe he needs to develop more physically.  

The Reds still appear to have no clear indication of when first-choice centre-backs Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez will return, and suffered two further blows when Fabinho pulled out before Thursday’s 3-1 win over Tottenham with a muscle issue and Joel Matip limped off at half-time with ankle ligament damage.

Klopp has already had to fast-track novices Rhys Williams and Nathaniel Phillips into the first-team to cover at centre-back, with the former seriously exposed in the 0-0 Premier League draw against Manchester United earlier this month. 

The head coach has confirmed that Liverpool will try to sign another central defender before the January transfer window. 

Jurgen Klopp called Van den Berg ‘a wonderful boy’ when he joined from PEC Zwolle in 2019




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