Van den Berg’s situation is currently unchanged, with FC Koln interested in the 21-year-old but having not yet returned with an improved offer after their initial bid was turned down.
Van den Berg is understood to be keen on the move but Boro will only sanction a transfer if their valuation is reached, and boss Rob Edwards explained he “didn’t feel it was right” to include the Dutch defender in his squad for Saturday’s Championship opener against Swansea City.
That will again be the case for Tuesday night’s first round tie, and as things stand Edwards plans to assess the situation on a game-by-game basis if van den Berg’s future isn’t resolved in the next couple of weeks.
“Rav is ongoing still,” said Edwards.
“There’s no update as yet. If there is any, we’ll obviously make you aware of it. He won’t be available tomorrow.
“This situation is ongoing, so we’ll have to see [if and when we reintroduce him]. We’ll see, is my answer. I haven’t got a crystal ball. We don’t know how long the situation will go on for.”
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In an ideal world, Edwards admits Boro would like the van den Berg situation resolved one way or the other as soon as possible, but club bosses haven’t set any internal deadlines.
In van den Berg’s absence, Luke Ayling, Dael Fry and Alfie Jones played at centre-half on Saturday. Neto Borges was a substitute, and Darragh Lenihan and George Edmundson are still to come back from injury, so Boro are well stocked in that area.
Edwards said: “Like everyone in these situations, we’d like this resolved as quickly as possible.
“We all can then know where we stand. But, right now, nobody has mentioned any kind of deadline or anything like that, no.”
FC Koln remain interested in van den Berg but it’s unclear at this stage if and when they’ll match Boro’s valuation.
Assessing the German club’s transfer position, director Thomas Kessler said at the weekend: “If the Bundesliga were to start tomorrow, I consider us well prepared. But if we have the opportunity to add more quality, we will certainly do so.
“We’re still in talks and looking at what’s available on the market. We can’t do everything, and not every conversation leads to a transfer. We’ll look around and see if anything else happens.”
Boro are continuing their own efforts to strengthen the squad, with the club’s recruitment team prioritising a striker and a left wing-back.
Edwards said: “We’re a little bit thin on the ground in one or two areas. We’re delighted with what we’ve got in the building, but we’re always looking to try and maximise the window and be as strong as possible going into the rest of the season.
“I keep saying it, but the guys really are working so hard.
“There isn’t any more progress that I can update you on right now, but we are really hopeful in the next week or two, which will help with the lads who we’ve already got here. As I say, I’ve got to underline that point, we are pleased with the lads and what they’re giving us now.”