Anderlecht goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen has responded to links with Premier League giants Liverpool and Manchester United by admitting he is flattered by the interest, speaking to De Telegraaf.
Verbruggen possesses just about every attribute you could possibly want from a young glovesman.
He’s mature beyond his years, an excellent shot-stopper, a superb passer of the ball and, as Ludogorets discovered during the UEFA Conference League recently, a penalty shoot-out king. Verbruggen, at the age of just 20, already possesses a skill-set bordering on the ‘complete’; comparisons with Manuel Neuer and Thibaut Courtois reflective of his vast potential.
According to Het Laaste Niews, Verbruggen has caught Liverpool’s eye. Ditto a Manchester United side on the lookout for a long-term David de Gea replacement.
Liverpool and Man United eye Bart Verbruggen after Burnley missed out
“I don’t read much,” the former Burnley target says when asked about those Premier League links. “But sometimes you get a message forwarded. It’s nice when things go well.”
Anderlecht, according to Voetbal Nieuws, could demand a record fee for Verbruggen. One that would make the Conference League quarter-finalist the most expensive goalkeeper in the history of Belgium’s top-flight. The Dutchman, handed his first call-up by Netherlands coach Ronald Koeman for this month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers, is valued at around £11 million.
“Bart is still so young,” adds RCSA coach Brian Riemer. “But he plays with the charisma of a goalkeeper who has already played more than 300 matches at the highest level.
“He always keeps a cool head and is not afraid to play football. In fact, he is a weapon in the build-up. Believe me, Verbruggen has a great future ahead of him. And that future still lies with Anderlecht.”
Team-mate and former Tottenham Hotspur defender Jan Vertonghen, meanwhile, is not surprised to see Verbruggen emerge as a target for some of the continent’s biggest and best, some eight months after a potential £5 million move to Burnley collapsed.
“For me, Verbruggen has the potential to become one of the best goalkeepers in Europe,” says veteran defender Vertonghen. “We are also very close. We are practically neighbours in Antwerp.
“I have rarely seen such a personality at that age; Modest, but very driven and ambitious. If I’m a top European club and I have the money to spend, I wouldn’t hesitate (to buy him).”
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