Burnley have joined the transfer race for young Liverpool defender Sepp van den Berg, Alan Nixon has reported on his Patreon account.

The Clarets are set to battle with Premier League outfit AFC Bournemouth and also Swiss side Basel for the Dutchman's services, with Jurgen Klopp allowing the versatile 20-year-old to depart Anfield on loan again.

Van den Berg, who is naturally a centre-back but can also play at right-back and wing-back, has spent the last year-and-a-half on loan in the Championship at Burnley's Lancashire rivals Preston North End.

 

 

 

 

At the Lilywhites, Van den Berg played 61 times in the second tier, but PNE boss Ryan Lowe was resigned to him playing for a Premier League club or in a top European league next season.

However, he could make a swift return to the Championship with Burnley, who need to battle with other clubs for his signature.

Vincent Kompany is still on the look-out for a new central defender due to Nathan Collins' departure to Wolves earlier this month, with a replacement still not brought in through the door.

The Verdict

Considering his performances for Preston North End, especially last season, it would be a shock to see Van den Berg in the Championship again.

The Dutchman looked destined for a Premier League loan or perhaps somewhere like the Eredivisie or Bundesliga, with Bournemouth's interest making complete sense.

Despite Burnley being interested though, another young defender to add to the back-line might not be the right way to go.

The Clarets are really lacking experience in the middle of the defence right now and they could do with someone a bit older for the tougher matches that they have to grind out.

That is no disrespect to Van den Berg who is clearly a talent, but he's very similar to what Vincent Kompany already has at his disposal.