Liverpool sign ‘the next Thibaut Courtois’: 18-year-old Belgian goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans joins in £30m deadline day deal – but is immediately loaned back to Genk
Liverpool have signed 18-year-old goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans from Genk in a deal that Belgian sources say is worth just under £30million.
As Daily Mail Sport reported on Monday, the teenager will remain at Genk on loan for this campaign before moving to Anfield ahead of the 2027-28 season.
Brughmans, regarded as the next Thibaut Courtois, has agreed a six-year contract.
The deal involves an initial fee, understood to be £28m, supplemented by £1.5m in bonuses.
The signing underlines Liverpool’s strategy to continue building on the work of their Global Talent team, led by Matt Newberry, who identified Brughmans amid competition from Real Madrid.
He will follow on from other recent additions such as Amin Pesci, Mor Talla N’Diaye, Ifeanyi Ndukwe and Samuel Martinez who have all joined in the last 12 months.
Lucca Brughmans has joined Liverpool and will be loaned back to Genk for the season
Brughmans underlined his potential at the 2025 UEFA Under 17 Championship in Albania.
On Monday, Liverpool confirmed the £123million signing of Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain.
Barcola, 23, joins on a five-year contract from the reigning two-time European champions.
Liverpool made a breakthrough with PSG last week after several weeks of negotiations to try to bring down the European champions’ stubborn valuation which started at £145m.
The deal is a major boost for new Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola, who has seen his tenure begin with successive 2-2 draws against Newcastle and Nottingham Forest.
Barcola joins Jeremy Jacquet and Victor Munoz as major additions to the Liverpool squad this summer, with the pair having signed for £55m and £34.5m respectively before the addition of Brughmans.
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