Arne Slot faces furious exit demand on Liverpool manager's first day in charge

Sepp van den Berg is desperate to leave Liverpool having been serially loaned out - but believes they are pricing him out of a move.

The Dutchman has spent the last four seasons away from Anfield, playing two years in the Championship before landing successive clubs in the Bundesliga. He's never made a Premier League appearance for the Reds and is keen to finally move on.

Van den Berg understood initially he had to be patient, but has accused Liverpool of not looking after him with the player now wanting to play every week leaving new boss Arne Slot, who begins his Reds contract on Saturday, having to deal with the frustrated 22-year-old, who has been priced at £20million.

He told De Telegraaf : "I knew that I couldn't get from PEC Zwolle [straight] to Liverpool's first team. I could have been at Liverpool for one or two more years, but I wanted to play with all my might. I demanded to be [loaned] out. Every time, because I felt that I was getting better and better. I also made great strides physically.

"Just the whole [first] season. On the one hand, that was great. Yes, how does that work, you're 17, 18 years old, you're central to the defence in training against the starting XI, you have to build up and then Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mo Salah come running towards you. It was tough, but I enjoyed it. But in all honesty, I wasn't looked after anymore.

"I also felt 'ready' [in 2021]. I had a good conversation with the management. He said he had received good reports. I understood that I wasn't going to play Van Dijk, Matip or Konate out [the team]. But I thought I could be right behind it. When I didn't get a chance again, I said: 'Figure it out, I want to leave.'

"You (Liverpool) didn't exude confidence in me all this time, but you do want to hinder my future. I want to keep playing every week and develop myself further. In Germany, I enjoy Dortmund away with 70,000 people, Bayern Munich away against Harry Kane, Stuttgart, Leipzig, Leverkusen, against clubs like that I am challenged every week."

The Reds have denied there was a £5m agreement that allowed Mainz, where Van den Berg was most recently on loan, to make the deal permanent. Liverpool have several centre-halves already on their books, which is why Van den Berg has had to head out on loan to secure regular minutes.

Virgil van Dijk remains the team's defensive leader and, in the final weeks of the season, had been joined by youngster Jarell Quansah. Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez are also options at the heart of the back four, which leaves minutes at a premium.