Goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen exchanges the Belgian Anderlecht for Brighton & Hove Albion from England. The 20-year-old from Breda signed a contract until the summer of 2028. According to English media, the English club paid approximately 18.6 million euros for the youth international.
“I am very happy with Bart,” said trainer Roberto De Zerbi. “He has played the same kind of football we play and he will have no problem fitting into our group. He has the potential to become a very important player for the club in the years to come.”
Verbruggen played for NAC Breda in the Netherlands before leaving for Anderlecht in 2020. After a period as a reserve keeper, he seized his chance halfway through last season. The goalkeeper was a regular fixture during the second part of the season and was named player of the year at Anderlecht. He was also called up for the Orange for the first time in March, but has not yet played an international match. He did make his debut for the Dutch Juniors last month.
Verbruggen also played for WDS’19 in Breda for several years. That is the same club where Virgil van Dijk started his football career. Van Dijk now plays for Liverpool.