Liverpool could be close to their first signing of the summer, and he’s a Dutch centre half. However, fans hoping for a big-name signing may be disappointed to learn that it’s not Matthijs de Ligt on the menu, it’s PEC Zwolle’s 17-year-old Sepp van den Berg.
Van den Berg has been a regular for the Netherlands at the youth levels, and the young defender made 16 appearances—totalling just under 1,000 minutes—last season in his debut senior season for PEC, who finished comfortably mid-table in the Eredivisie.
Clearly, then, his signing would not be for the present, and Van der Berg would not be a potential replacement for Dejan Lovren on the depth chart should the veteran Croatian make his move to Serie A. Instead, he would very much be a player for the future.
If the young centre half were to arrive at Liverpool, he could expect to partner regularly with another promising Dutch 17-year-old, Ki-Jana Hoever, with Liverpool’s U23s—and that and perhaps a cup appearance would likely be how he would spend the season.
However, according to Neil Jones of Goal, it’s not a sure thing he signs for the Reds—they’re hopeful of securing his signature, but Ajax, PSV, and Bayern Munich are all also trying to sign the young Dtuch star.