Report suggests Liverpool may need to pay national record to sign ‘exceptional’ talent
Liverpool may need to break a national record if they’re to sign reported transfer target Bart Verbruggen.
That’s according to reports from Belgium, where the Dutch goalkeeper is currently plying his trade with Anderlecht.
As per Voetbal International in recent days, the Reds are big admirers of the 20-year-old, who’s also on the radar of Manchester United. That outlet cited a valuation of approximately €10m (£8.8m) for the stopper, but it seems as if prospective suitors might need to go even higher.
Belgian outlet Voetbal Nieuws stated that the Brussels club could be aiming for an asking price of €13m (£11.5m) for Verbruggen. If he leaves for that amount, it would represent a record fee for a goalkeeper from the Jupiler Pro League.
The 20-year-old recently earned his first call-up to the senior Netherlands squad off the back of his impressive performances for Anderlecht, for whom he’s fast earning a reputation as a penalty shootout specialist.
That trait has been to the fore on the continental stage, having helped his club to reach the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League.
He’s earned glowing praise from his goalkeeping coach Frank Boeckx, who recently gushed (as per Voetbal Nieuws): “Bart has an incredible work ethic, is already very mature and is mentally very strong”, adding: “How he sees and can execute passes, both short and long, is exceptional”.
Liverpool will likely need to invest in a goalkeeper this summer, with both Caoimhin Kelleher (Football Insider) and Adrian (ESPN) touted to depart after the end of the current campaign.
Even if the former stays, his cause won’t have been helped by an error for Latvia’s equaliser in Ireland’s 3-2 win last night (as per video from RTE Soccer on Twitter).
That said, the Cork native has deputised tremendously for Alisson when called upon at club level, proving in a similar vein to Verbruggen to be an imposing presence in penalty shootouts.
In a market where Southampton spent £12m last year on Kelleher’s international colleague Gavin Bazunu (BBC), who’d never played in the Premier League up to that point, a broadly similar fee for another young stopper who’s already making waves in Europe seems reasonable for the Reds to pay if needed.
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