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Van den Berg reveals Liverpool’s interest came as a surprise to him, admitting: “I couldn’t believe it, I thought it was a joke.”
Last Updated: 27/06/19 10:49am
Liverpool have signed 17-year-old Sepp van den Berg from Eredivisie club PEC Zwolle.
Van den Berg’s transfer will be formally completed on July 1, with Liverpool understood to be paying an initial £1.3m.
The fee for the Netherlands U19 centre-back could eventually rise above £4m, depending on how many Premier League and European appearances he goes on to make for the Champions League holders.
Van den Berg has revealed Liverpool’s interest came as a surprise to him, admitting: “I couldn’t believe it, I thought it was a joke,” he told Liverpool’s official website.
“I was really happy and, to be honest, I was a little bit scared at first because such a big club had interest in me.
“So, I was a little bit scared but eventually I was really excited.”
After making Van den Berg their first signing of the summer, Liverpool insist that while they will be looking to develop him, he is not considered an ‘academy’ signing.
Van den Berg made his Eredivisie debut at the age of 16 in March 2018 and went on to make 15 league appearances for PEC Zwolle.
The defender has established himself in the Dutch youth side, starting each of their last three European U19 Championship qualifiers.
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