Liverpool signed Lucca Brughmans from Genk at the start of the month, but the highly-rated teenage goalkeeper is spending the rest of the campaign with his previous club
Genk's Belgian goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans.
Genk's Belgian goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans.(Image: JILL DELSAUX / Belga / AFP via Getty Images)
Genk director of football Dimitri de Conde has expressed his surprise at Liverpool's transfer swoop for the 18-year-old goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans this summer.
Paying a nominal initial sum for Brughmans, the Reds could end up splashing around $41 million (£30 million) for the Belgian, who was also being considered by Real Madrid. He is one of the most highly-rated players in his age group in the world.
"My first reaction was: 'Oh boy, what now?'. After all, a team had to take the field just a few days later," De Conde replied when he was asked by Het Laatste Nieuws (translated by Sport Witness) if he was surprised when the offer came in from the Premier League giant.
"But then, seeing how Lucca performed at Anderlecht... and I’m not just talking about those two fantastic saves, but also his presence and his post-match interviews.
"I knew he was on the radar of top clubs, that he’d even visited Real Madrid, and that he was one of the lads we hoped to get a handsome fee for at some point, to ensure the club’s survival.
"But for it to happen *that* quickly. And for that amount... I never saw that coming. That’s exactly the point.
Genk's goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans is pictured in action during a soccer match between RSC Anderlecht and Krc Genk
Lucca Brughmans has impressed back at Genk(Image: (Photo by BRUNO FAHY / BELGA MAG / Belga / AFP via Getty Images))
"People saying ‘It’s fantastic what De Conde achieved with his experience regarding Lucca’s transfer!’? Sorry, but that’s not the case.
"In the end, I got a call from his agency at 11am on a Sunday, two days before the English transfer window closed.
"Liverpool is serious. ‘This is the offer.’ And the very next morning, Lucca was on a plane to Liverpool. I do take credit for the fact that we, as a club, chose that path.
"I don’t pick the starting line-up — let’s be clear about that — but at a certain point, we gave Lucca his chance. It might have only been in the Play-Off 2 stage, but we did it nonetheless."
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Brughmans has signed a six-year contract at Anfield and represents the latest element of Liverpool's aggressive recruitment drive at youth level, led by Matt Newberry and the global talent team.
In recent times, Liverpool has brought in the likes of center-backs Mor Talla Ndiaye and Ifeanyi Ndukwe, and the Colombian forward Samuel Martinez.
The Reds also signed another young goalkeeper, Hungarian Armin Pecsi, last year. He is currently out on loan at TSV Hartberg in the Austrian Bundesliga.
Liverpool.com says: Brughmans appears to be a top talent. In time, the price could prove to be a bargain if he fulfills his potential, and signing top goalkeepers is the most difficult position to get right.