London (AFP) – 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 ($1.7 million) for Van den Berg, beating Bayern Munich to the youngster’s signature.
Van den Berg is expected to spend next season with the club’s academy sides.
“It is, for me, the biggest club in the world and it’s a dream come true. I am really excited,” said Van den Berg.
“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 (Jurgen Klopp) is a great guy and one of the reasons they are successful – and also one of the reasons I came here.
“I think this is the best place for me to grow and hopefully play a lot of games here.”
Liverpool are expected to have a quiet summer in the transfer market after splashing out over £170 million on Alisson Becker, Fabinho, Naby Keita and Xherdan Shaqiri last year.
