Liverpool are reportedly planning to send defender Sepp van den Berg out on loan again next season as his Preston spell comes to an end.
They always say not to fall in love with loan players and North End fans have gone head over heels for three of them.
Goalkeeper Daniel Iversen and striker Cameron Archer have excelled since joining on loan from Leicester City and Aston Villa.
Van den Berg is the third, and much like Iversen, he has now been on loan at Preston since January 2021.
Seeing the progress of Van den Berg has been astonishing. When he first arrived as part of the deal that saw Ben Davies move to Anfield, the Dutchman could barely take a throw-in from an unfamiliar right wing back role.
Van den Berg grew into a very good right wing back before switching to right-sided centre back under Ryan Lowe.
The 20-year-old has been outstanding; his pace on the cover excellent and his bond with the fans seemingly unbreakable.
With the end of the season in sight though, Van den Berg’s time at Preston is coming towards its close.
Lowe is hoping to keep Van den Berg for another year, but the defender himself has admitted that he is expecting to be playing elsewhere.
Some have wondered whether Van den Berg would be featuring in the Liverpool first-team setup next season.
Neco Williams’ future is up in the air and Van den Berg could feasibly offer cover behind Trent Alexander-Arnold at right back.
However, Goal’s Liverpool correspondent Neil Jones reports that Liverpool are planning to send Van den Berg out on loan once again.
That may give Preston hope of a loan deal, but we have to be realistic here.
We would imagine that Van den Berg will be sent to a top-flight Dutch or German club to further his development, or even a Premier League club.
It would be great to see Van den Berg in a Preston shirt again next season, but we just can’t see it happening with Liverpool likely to want something new for their young defender.