Liverpool, Man United keen on 20-year-old goalkeeper?

Liverpool and Manchester United have reportedly placed emphasis on signing Anderlecht goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.

The 20-year-old signed with Anderlecht for €300,000 (£265,461) from NAC Breda during the summer of 2020, but he had to wait patiently for his first-team debut, which finally arrived in May 2021.

Although Verbruggen featured in a domestic cup game in October, the youngster spent the first half of the 2022-23 season playing for Anderlecht’s futures side in the Belgian second division.

However, since then the Dutch goalkeeper has become the club’s first-choice keeper.

He has now made 17 appearances for Anderlecht this season, recording six clean sheets in that period.

In Thursday’s 1-0 second-leg win against Villarreal, the goalkeeper played a significant role in helping his team advance to the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League with a 2-1 aggregate win.

Verbruggen’s impressive performances have earned him a call-up to the Netherlands squad for their upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against France and Gibraltar.

The stopper is also attracting interest from two Premier League giants, Liverpool and Manchester United. According to report from HLN.BE, both English clubs are monitoring Verbruggen’s progress.

While Alisson Becker remains Liverpool’s undisputed first-choice goalkeeper, there is uncertainty surrounding the future of Caoimhin Kelleher. The Irishman is eager to play regular first-team football after making only three appearances this season. Although the Reds want to keep Kelleher, they are not expected to prevent him from leaving in the summer.

As for Manchester United, they have yet to decide on the future of David de Gea, whose contract expires at the end of the season. Even if the Spaniard remains at Old Trafford, Tom Heaton, Dean Henderson, and Jack Butland could all depart in the summer.

If Liverpool or Manchester United decide to pursue Verbruggen, they may need to meet Anderlecht’s asking price of €10m (£8.9m).