Chelsea are reportedly ‘preparing a serious push’ to trump Tottenham Hotspur in the race to sign Brighton & Hove Albion goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, as per TEAMtalk.
After moving to AMEX Stadium from Belgian side RSC Anderlecht in 2023, the 23-year-old initially played as a rotational option in his debut campaign.
However, since Fabian Hurzeler’s arrival as the manager, he has established himself as the first-choice goalkeeper. The youngster has even secured his place in the Netherlands national team’s starting line-up.
Now, TEAMtalk claim that Verbruggen is ready to leave Brighton at the end of this season to take the next step in his career, with Chelsea, Bayern Munich, and Tottenham showing strong interest.
However, Spurs are unlikely to be able to qualify for the Champions League next season, so Verbruggen might not want to move to north London.
Bayern Munich want Verbruggen as a potential long-term replacement for Manuel Neuer, who is set to turn 40 next month. The Bavarian club even enquired about his availability last summer, but the player didn’t want to leave at that time.
Chelsea want to sign a new goalkeeper to create competition for the inconsistent Robert Sanchez, with Filip Jorgensen struggling to push the Spaniard. They are ‘preparing a serious push’ to sign Verbruggen and are ready to match Brighton’s £50m price tag.
Verbruggen to Chelsea
Verbruggen, standing at 6ft 4in tall, is comfortable playing out from the back, good in the air, and efficient in playing the sweeper-keeper role.
Tottenham bought Guglielmo Vicario from Empoli as the long-term replacement for Hugo Lloris. However, the Italian has struggled to showcase consistency, making several high-profile errors this season.
Therefore, Tottenham could do with signing a new goalkeeper. Verbruggen is a talented player and could be a shrewd acquisition for Spurs or Chelsea should either club purchase him.
However, it is going to be interesting to see whether the West London club can eventually manage to secure the Netherlands international’s service by defeating the North London club in this race.
Meanwhile, following a disappointing 2-2 draw against Leeds United in the Premier League, Chelsea will face off against Championship side Hull City in the FA Cup on Friday night.
