Brighton & Hove Albion goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen is delighted with reports linking him to Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
Back in April, journalist Florian Plettenberg mentioned the 23-year-old as an option for Bayern Munich. A month later, claims from elsewhere said Verbruggen was on the La Liga winners’ list. There hasn’t been anything concrete on either club since then.
Ronald Koeman has included the Brighton player in his squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Poland and Lithuania.
Ahead of Oranje’s first clash against Poland later today, Soccer News had a detailed chat with the stopper. They specifically asked for his views on reports linking him to Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
Responding to that, he said: “It’s always a compliment to be associated with such big clubs, but I haven’t been thinking about it that much.”
“I’ve had problems with my knee this summer and have focused on staying fit. To be honest, I don’t know what has or hasn’t been going on. My agent keeps me out of it. If something becomes very concrete and choices have to be made, I’ll hear about it.”
This clearly indicates there wasn’t anything concrete from Barcelona or Bayern Munich. The Catalan club ended up signing Joan García from local rivals Espanyol.
The Netherlands international is the first-choice goalkeeper at Brighton, where he has a contract until 2028. He made it clear his focus is on Fabian Hürzeler’s side and the national team, and he doesn’t want to get carried away by transfer links.
“It’s important to stay calm and take everything step by step. Then I’ll see where it takes me in the end,” Verbruggen explained.
“The focus this week is on the Dutch national team, playing the qualifying matches and achieving good results.”