5 months ago
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Photo by Selim Sudheimer/Getty Images
Let’s talk about swaps, baby.
The Liverpool FC and Riccardo Calafiori links are heating up. Entering the tournament, Calafiori was already coming off a pretty stellar season, playing a pivotal role in driving Bologna FC into the Champions League. In his last game against Croatia, he had himself a moment as he picked up the ball, ran up the pitch and delivered an assist for Italy’s 98th-minute equaliser.
Amidst rumours that Juventus have cooled their interest due to the price tag Bologna have set, another potential factor has come into play. According to Lewis Steele of the Daily Mail, Bologna want Sepp van den Berg as a Calafiori replacement if the latter departs.
The young Dutchman is coming off an excellent loan season at Mainz but has already expressed a desire to leave the club, feeling that first-team opportunities will be scarce. New head coach Arne Slot will want to look at his young compatriot in preseason camp, but that decision could be taken out of his hands if the recruitment team decides to cash in on Sepp.
The club is said to value Van den Berg at £20m, which has been the main obstacle to a Sepp return to Mainz. Should the player and Bologna both be receptive to a swap deal, it could make a Liverpool deal for one of Europe’s top defensive prospects an even more affordable proposition. The opportunity to play Champions League football should also be attractive for the big red Dutchman. Swap deals rarely work out in football, but it does seem that the stars are aligning for Liverpool in more ways than one. We’ll see what happens.
