Anderlecht are preparing for life without Bart Verbruggen as Vincent Kompany closes in on a £4 million to reunite with the goalkeeper at a Burnley side also closing in on Coventry City’s Callum O’Hare, as reported by Voetbal Krant.
This was always going to be a summer of transition at Turf Moor. And not just in the dugout.
Since bidding farewell to the Premier League in May, no fewer ten players have departed, paving the way for seven new arrivals. Out goes James Tarkowski, in comes Taylor Harwood-Bellis. Goodbye Dale Stephens, hello Samuel Bastien.
A new goalkeeper is the next task on Kompany’s to-do list, after Wayne Hennessey followed Nick Pope out the door. And Verbruggen, assuming he joins former Anderlecht team-mate Josh Cullen in Lancashire, is perhaps the most intriguing of Burnley’s summer arrivals. He’s also the most expensive. So far, anyway.
Burnley set to sign Anderlecht goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen
DH Net say that the Clarets are expected to splash out an initial £4 million fee, rising to around £6 million with add-ons. That is quite the show of faith in a 19-year-old shot-stopper with only a handful of first-team appearances under his belt. Obviously Kompany sees something special in Verbruggen, whom he handed a senior debut to back in 2021 at the age of just 18.
“We have been preparing him for months on end behind the scenes,” the Manchester City legend said at the time. “It’s hard to launch a young goalkeeper, but now was the time to bring him in.
“He is playing now and has our confidence. If he had been the worst player on the pitch today, that opinion wouldn’t change. And if he had been the best, we would have kept him down to earth.”
According to Voetbal Krant, Anderlecht are looking to bring Maxime Delanghe back to Lotto Park as Verbruggen’s replacement. The 21-year-old played for the Belgian giants at youth level. Delonghe could now return after a stint at PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie.
Verbruggen’s status as Burnley’s most expensive new arrival might not last for long, however. TEAMtalk claim that Coventry City are expecting to lose the elegant Callum O’Hare. This comes after Kompany publicly expressed his admiration for the former Aston Villa starlet – much to the annoyance of Sky Blues counterpart Mark Robins.
Burnley are reportedly set to pay ‘just shy’ of £9 million for O’Hare.
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