Sepp van den Berg has enjoyed an impressive season on loan at Mainz and now seeks a permanent move to the Bundesliga, rather than returning to Liverpool under new manager Arne Slot.
Liverpool defender Sepp van den Berg has stated he is not interested in impressing the new Liverpool manager, Arne Slot, following claims that Jurgen Klopp hindered his career.
Van den Berg, 22, recently had a successful loan spell at Klopp’s former club Mainz and now wishes to secure a permanent move to the Bundesliga. He believes Liverpool did not fulfill the development promises made to him after his £1.3 million transfer from PEC Zwolle in 2019.
He is also frustrated that Liverpool might be obstructing his exit by asking for £20 million for a player who has yet to make a Premier League appearance, despite being capped by the Netherlands at the Under-21 level.
Arne Slot, also Dutch, has replaced Klopp after leaving Feyenoord.
But Van den Berg said: “In all honesty, I am no longer being looked after. Now I want to keep playing weekly and develop myself further.
“In Germany, I enjoy Dortmund with 70,000 people, Bayern Munich against Harry Kane, Stuttgart, Leipzig, Leverkusen – against clubs like that I am challenged every week.’
“I knew very well that I could not go from PEC Zwolle straight into Liverpool’s first team when I moved. I could have had one or two more years at Liverpool, but I wanted to play and so I demanded to be let out.
“Every time, I felt I was getting better and better and that I was also making great strides physically. I felt ready. I had a good conversation with the manager who said he had received good reports.
“But I understood very well that I was not going to play ahead of Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip or Ibrahima Konate.
“I still felt I could be right behind them, but when I was not given a chance again, I told them to sort it out and that I wanted to leave again.
“Liverpool did not radiate confidence in me all this time, but they now want to hinder my future.”
Van den Berg appeared in three Carabao Cup matches and one FA Cup game for Liverpool.
He has since been loaned to Preston, Schalke, and then Mainz, where his performance was so impressive that Liverpool are now valuing him at £20 million.
Van den Berg returned to Liverpool this week for physical assessments. His 19-year-old brother, Rev, plays for Middlesbrough.
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