Liverpool £34m target an de Ven hints he wants transfer after Anfield visit

Liverpool target Micky van de Ven has revealed that it would be a “dream” come true to play for the Reds. The Wolfsburg centre-back has been linked with a move away to Anfield this summer following the arrival of sporting director Jorg Schmadtke.

Schmadtke, formerly the director of football for Wolfsburg, was responsible for signing van de Ven from Dutch side FC Volendam back in 2021 and is said to still to be a great admirer of the player. Wolfsburg are asking for a fee in the region of £34million for the 22-year-old, who appears to be a Liverpool fan. 

Van de Ven was in attendance for Liverpool’s 5-1 win over Arsenal at Anfield back in December 2018 and was amazed by the atmosphere. The Dutchman is now hoping he can experience it for real in a Liverpool shirt. 

“I once went to the Liverpool stadium with my dad,” he said back in January. “That was over Christmas on Boxing Day. Liverpool vs Arsenal. That was madness. Then when ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ comes [on] – that’s a goosebump moment, that was very cool. It’s a dream to play there.”

He added: “If you ask someone: what is the best league in the world? Then you will most likely get England as an answer. Many of the best players play in the Premier League. I can well imagine playing in the Premier League at some point.”

Van de Ven is one of many transfer targets for Liverpool ahead of what will surely be a very busy transfer window for Schmadtke and Jurgen Klopp.

Liverpool are looking to overhaul their entire midfield after missing out on Champions League football for the first time in seven years. The Reds want to sign at least three midfielders before the start of next season and are actively pursuing Chelsea’s Mason Mount, Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister and Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch.

Meanwhile, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita are all set to depart in the coming weeks.