Xabi Alonso reportedly phoned Sepp van den Berg shortly before Liverpool struck an agreement with Brentford for the defender’s transfer.
The 22-year-old joined Liverpool in a £4.4m move from Eredivisie club PEC Zwolle in 2019 but has made just four senior appearances during his time with the Reds. He was greatly admired by Jurgen Klopp and even once thought to be a successor for Virgil van Dijk.
But Arne Slot has opted to move the defender on and Brentford have now agreed a deal in principle for the Dutchman which will see the west London club pay £25million plus £5million in add-ons for the centre-back.
Van den Berg was the subject of interest from a number of clubs this summer, including Bayer Leverkusen, who are now managed by Alonso.
However, the price tag Liverpool placed on the centre-back was deemed to be too expensive for the German champions. Furthermore, Leverkusen were only considering a move to sign Van den Berg if another defender were to depart the club before next week’s transfer deadline.
Fellow German club Stuttgart were also pushing for a move for Van den Berg, according to Sky Sports, who describe the Dutch international as their “plan A”. But the Bundesliga outfit were also unable to compete financially for his signature.
With Stuttgart and Leverkusen unable to stump up the adequate funds, Brentford have an open lane to get the deal over the line, with the club now waiting on the player’s decision.
If Van den Berg does choose to join the Bees, he will be the second Liverpool player to make the switch from Anfield to Brentford this summer, following in the footsteps of 21-year-old attacking midfielder Fabio Carvalho.
Carvalho felt he did well in pre-season to potentially make a case for his inclusion in Slot’s plans at Anfield. However, he is one of several young players to move on as the Dutch manager attempts to put his stamp on a new era at the club.
On his transfer, Carvalho voiced his desire to attain consistent game time and not simply “sit on the bench” for another season.
Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “I thought I did alright [in pre-season], to be fair. “But as a footballer, you get that feeling where you know certain players aren’t back and when they come back things change.
“You sort of get that feeling and when that happens you’re like, yeah, this is the real deal and it’s like I’m not just going to stay at Liverpool.
“As much as I love the club, it’s one of the best clubs in the world and I’ve got nothing but love for the fans, but I’m not going to sit on the bench because what’s the point?”
