Liverpool and Napoli “interested” in Sander Berge, claims Genk sporting director
Genk’s sporting director has revealed that Liverpool and Napoli are interested in signing midfielder Sander Berge.
The 21-year-old has featured regularly for the Belgian side this season, playing every minute of their Champions League campaign in a group that features the English and Italian sides.
"Napoli are interested in Sander, it's a possibility a deal could be done,” De Conde told Radio Punto Nuovo (via Goal).
“We also know that Liverpool are interested and [Jurgen] Klopp, after the game at Anfield, complimented him on his performance.
“There are clubs in Italy who are following Berge and Napoli could be one of them, but at this stage there are no offers on the table. From next week, things could change.
“We haven't had any official contact with Napoli yet.”
One thing De Conde is not expecting is that a deal is done before next summer.
He said: “Berge to Napoli in January? We don’t know. We are currently fighting for our seasonal goals and we are in a complicated situation.
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“Our intention is to hold on to Sander until the end of the season, but we can’t make any predictions. If the big clubs come knocking at our door, we will have to start negotiations, just as the agent has to do.
“These are situations we can’t predict, we’re focused on our season, hoping to keep Sander until May. Then if a top club like Napoli is serious, we will sit at the same table to negotiate, it is logical.
“The current valuation of Berge? We do not talk about figures; we do not set a price at the moment. We will see when we find ourselves in a negotiation.”
Berge’s performance in a 2-1 defeat for his side against the Reds at Anfield last week caught the eye of Klopp.
The Liverpool boss went over to the Norway international after the match to compliment him on his display.
“It is nice that such a reputable trainer comes away and says something like that," Berge said after the game.
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Alasdair Mackenzie is a freelance journalist based in Rome, and a FourFourTwo contributor since 2015. When not pulling on the FFT shirt, he can be found at Reuters, The Times and the i. An Italophile since growing up on a diet of Football Italia on Channel 4, he now counts himself among thousands of fans sharing a passion for Ross County and Lazio.