Liverpool defender Sepp van den Berg is closing in on a loan deal with Schalke.
Van den Berg has been the subject of interest from plenty of clubs across the summer after an impressive showing with Preston North End last term where he made 50 appearances in all competitions.
Championship side Blackburn Rovers have been keeping up to date on developments, while the recently-relegated Burnley were also keen on the Dutch defender.
With injuries to Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate at centre-half, however, Jurgen Klopp has been wary of sanctioning a departure too soon with Van den Berg named on the bench of all four of the Reds' Premier League games so far this term.
Konate's absence remains ongoing but Matip returned to training on Monday ahead of a busy week that includes a visit from Newcastle United on Wednesday night before Saturday's lunchtime showdown with Everton in the Merseyside derby.
And with Matip now ready to give Klopp more options at centre-back, Liverpool are happy to green light a loan switch for Van den Berg, who joined from PEC Zwolle at the age of 17 in the summer of 2019.
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Van den Berg is now close to agreeing a move to Schalke, who are back in the Bundesliga following their promotion last season, while the future of fellow centre-back Nat Phillips remains unclear as Bournemouth continue to have a long-standing interest in a defender who spent the second half of last season at the Vitality Stadium.
Phillips, who was on the bench for Saturday's 9-0 hammering of his former loan employers, said ahead of the game: "I had a really good time down there and it was good working with Scott Parker.
"He is a good manager to work for. He is very well-planned and meticulous in the way he approaches games. He was always analysing the fine details and knew what he wanted from you as a player and as a team.
"Personally, the experience was great. It was nice to be playing regularly and experiencing a promotion as well was something special."
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