Liverpool set timeframe to negotiate youngster’s exit – Won’t loan to relegated team

Liverpool have told Mainz they will not negotiate a deal for Sepp van den Berg until the summer, when their league status is confirmed.

That’s according to SportBILD, who say Liverpool will not loan the youngster to a second division team next season and have made this clear to their German counterparts.

Van den Berg has been on loan with Mainz since the summer, his second straight loan in Germany after a similar spell at Schalke last season.

He’s been a regular for them this season, with 26 appearances in the Bundesliga so far and 91% of the available minutes played to date.

Things have gone to plan for the youngster on that front as he’d secured the regular playing time and development he was looking for away from Anfield.

The negative is that he’s found himself in the midst of a relegation battle, as Mainz currently sit 16^th in the table and six points from safety at this moment in time.

And that uncertainty means his future is yet to be decided either as Liverpool have made it clear they won’t loan to a second division club.

Mainz want to keep the youngster, but it has been agreed between the two clubs that they will only speak about a renewal once their league status has been clarified.

In simpler terms, if they’re not a Bundesliga side at the end of the season, Van den Berg will be returning to Liverpool and then, potentially, loaned out elsewhere.