Liverpool receives confirmation $25M ace wants to leave after Arne Slot arrival

Mainz 05's sporting director Christian Heidel has confirmed that Sepp van den Berg is keen on a return to the Bundesliga side as he looks to leave Liverpool.

After a standout loan spell at Mainz from the Reds, where he clocked up 35 appearances and netted three times, the Dutch defender played his part in their survival campaign. Liverpool has reportedly put a £20m ($25m) price tag on Van den Berg, a move that hasn't sat well with him.

Earlier this summer, in an interview published on the same day Arne Slot started his role as new manager, Van den Berg expressed his desire to depart from Anfield. Heidel has now confirmed the 22-year-old's intentions with the two clubs reportedly in talks over a potential move.

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He told Kicker: "The only one who has made a decision is Sepp. He definitely wants to stay in Mainz. He has said that very clearly in public."

Van den Berg himself has been vocal about his situation. He told De Telegraaf: "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."

Recent reports from Germany have taken a swipe at Liverpool's new sporting director Richard Hughes, suggesting that Van den Berg's stalled move to Mainz was due to Hughes allegedly not knowing who the Dutch player was, an odd criticism of the Reds' executive.

Bild quoted an insider stating: "The new sporting boss Richard Hughes has more important issues than a player who was on loan to Germany - I'm not even sure if he even knows Sepp van den Berg."