Liverpool FC unveil new signing Lucca Brughmans at AXA Training Centre on September 02, 2026 in Kirkby, England. (Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Liverpool FC unveil new signing Lucca Brughmans at AXA Training Centre on September 02, 2026 in Kirkby, England. (Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
Liverpool moved quickly to secure goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans this summer, and the size and speed of their bid left Genk stunned.
It seems it was not only Liverpool supporters surprised by the deal the club struck for 18-year-old goalkeeper Brughmans at the end of the transfer window, with Genk also caught off guard.
The club agreed a deal worth an initial £28.3 million, with a further £1.7 million in add-ons, making him the most expensive U23 goalkeeper of all time.
Genk’s director of football, Dimitri de Conde, was aware of the vast interest in Brughmans, but told Het Laatste Nieuws he did not see Liverpool’s offer coming.
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He said: “When you get that phone call saying Liverpool wants Lucca…I knew he was on the radar of the top clubs, that he had already visited Real Madrid.
“He was one of the guys we wanted to get a nice sum for at a certain point, to survive as a club. But that it would happen so fast, and for that amount. I totally didn’t see that coming.”
Liverpool came with “serious” offer in late move for Brughmans
3E61AJ3 Antwerp, Belgium. 03rd Apr, 2026. Genk's goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans celebrates after winning a soccer match between Royal Antwerp FC and KRC Genk, Friday 03 April 2026 in Antwerp, on the first day of the Europe Play-offs (PO 2) of the 2025-2026 'Jupiler Pro League' first division of the Belgian championship. BELGA PHOTO TOM GOYVAERTS Credit: Belga News Agency/Alamy Live News
3E61AJ3 Antwerp, Belgium. 03rd Apr, 2026. Genk's goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans celebrates after winning a soccer match between Royal Antwerp FC and KRC Genk, Friday 03 April 2026 in Antwerp, on the first day of the Europe Play-offs (PO 2) of the 2025-2026 'Jupiler Pro League' first division of the Belgian championship. BELGA PHOTO TOM GOYVAERTS Credit: Belga News Agency/Alamy Live News
The speed of Liverpool’s pursuit, however, seems to have negated protracted negotiations, with De Conde’s recollection of the deal suggesting the club came to the table with a figure higher than Genk had expected to be offered.
Genk’s director explained: “People saying ‘It’s fantastic what De Conde achieved with his experience regarding Lucca’s transfer!’ Sorry, but that’s not the case.
“Eventually, on Sunday at 11 o’clock, two days before the transfer window closed in England, I got a call from his agency.
“‘Liverpool is serious. This is the offer’. And the next morning, Lucca was already on the plane to Liverpool.”
As for whether the goalkeeper’s move to Anfield will prove to be the right one for the youngster’s career, De Conde said: “I haven’t had any talks with Liverpool, but if the feedback I’m getting is correct, then I’m certain it’s the right move. Time will tell.”
Liverpool perhaps paid more than Genk expected to receive, but if Brughmans fulfills his potential, it will prove a price well worth paying.
Until his arrival next summer, the 18-year-old’s development continues at Genk, with six starts and two clean sheets so far, having assumed the role of first-choice goalkeeper.
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