Former Preston North End defender Sepp van den Berg is closing in on a move from Liverpool to Mainz.
Van den Berg will forever be a favourite in the hearts of PNE supporters.
The Dutchman joined North End on loan from Liverpool in January 2022, as part of Ben Davies moving to Anfield.
What was initially a six-month deal became an 18-month spell at Deepdale for Van den Berg, who became a fan favourite.
Sadly, after 66 appearances for PNE, the time came for Van den Berg to move on last summer.
Schalke took Van den Berg on loan but a major ankle injury limited his impact.
Van den Berg looked to be in line for a return to Deepdale this summer when Liverpool take on Darmstadt.
The Reds are borrowing PNE’s home for a pre-season friendly and Van den Berg would have been in contention to play a part.
Instead, the Dutchman now looks poised to leave Liverpool for another move to Germany…
Sepp van den Berg set for Mainz move
Germany newspaper Bild reported earlier today that Mainz are leading the race to sign Van den Berg and he was keen to join the Bundesliga side.
Mainz boss Bo Svensson is understood to have made a personal push to sign Van den Berg and that should swing the deal.
Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg adds that Van den Berg has now been spotted in Frankfurt, just about 45 minutes outside of Mainz.
Liverpool have given Van den Berg permission to go and speak to Mainz but two more Bundesliga clubs are thought to be interested.
Mainz are even discussing a permanent move for Van den Berg, meaning his time as a Liverpool player could be coming to an end.
We all know that Van den Berg has a huge future ahead of him and PNE fans will just have to hope that he returns to North End one day as he prepares for the next step in his career.