Brentford agree to a £25m deal for Reds’ Van den Berg

Brentford reaches an agreement to sign defender Sepp van den Berg from Liverpool in a deal worth £25m.

Van den Berg joins the Bees on a five-year contract. This is after turning down interest from other clubs, including Bayer Leverkusen. An initial £20m fee will be paid by Brentford, with an additional £5m in add-ons. On the other hand, Liverpool will have a 17.5% sell-on clause. Bees boss Thomas Frank says the defender is a “great signing” for the club. He adds:

“Sepp is a centre-back with a good level and he has the potential to develop even further. He fits our culture and the way we want to play. He is quick. He reads the game well and is composed on the ball in the build-up and in the decisive defending actions. Sepp is a great character, and I am convinced that he will fit in well with the group and help us to push forward.”

The 22-year-old, who chose Brentford over many other teams eager to recruit him, is at the west London team’s training facility settling on the details of the deal.

There are still some bothering issues concerning  a U-turn by Brentford boss. This is as a result of him been close to signing midfielder Archie Gray in June, only to lose out on him to Tottenham. But Van den Berg, who spent last season on loan at German club Mainz, is expected to join Thomas Frank’s Brentford squad. This closely follows his previous campaign on loan at German team Mainz.

The final team in the bidding war is Bayer Leverkusen, the German champions. Van den Berg joined Liverpool from Dutch side PEC Zwolle in 2019 but has made only four senior appearances for the Reds, having also spent 18 months on loan at Preston North End. He made 33 Bundesliga appearances on loan at German club Mainz last season.