Liverpool's Sepp van den Berg wants to learn from Virgil van Dijk
Liverpool have completed their first signing of the summer with the capture of 17-year-old Dutch defender Sepp van den Berg from PEC Zwolle.
The European champions have paid just £1.3 million (S$2.2m) for van den Berg, beating Bayern Munich to the youngster's signature.
The fee could rise to £4.4m, based on appearances.
The coveted youngster said he picked the Merseyside club because he wanted to learn from compatriot Virgil van Dijk, who he called the "best defender in the world right now".
Said the 17-year-old: "I was thinking about training with Virgil. For me, he is the best defender in the world right now, so I can learn a lot from him...
"It is, for me, the biggest club in the world and it's a dream come true. I am really excited.
"I've seen what kind of players from the academy grew into the first team here. It is unbelievable, especially when this kind of big club does that.
"Of course, the trainer (Juergen Klopp) is a great guy and one of the reasons they are successful - and also one of the reasons I came here."
Van den Berg made 15 appearances for Zwolle last season, breaking Clarence Seedorf's record as the youngest player to feature in at least 10 Eredivisie matches.
Van Dijk's centre-back partner for Holland, Matthijs de Ligt, called van den Berg "a great talent". Having previously been a winger, he is known for his speed.
The 17-year-old's former teammate at Zwolle, Dirk Marcellis, described the Reds new signing as "a smart player, who knows how to read situations in advance, as well as being very fast. He is an already reliable defender, with great consistency of performance".
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