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Deal for Brughmans
Liverpool have agreed a deal to sign 18-year-old goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans from Genk on a long-term contract, before loaning him back to the Belgian club for the current season, the Premier League side announced on Tuesday.
“British media reported that the fee with add-ons could reach £30 million ($39.3 million).”
British media reported that the fee with add-ons could reach £30 million ($39.3 million), while Liverpool’s own announcement said Brughmans would not join Anfield immediately and would return to Genk for the duration of the 2026-27 season.
Sofascore’s profile analysis says Brughmans is a 1,97 m rightier goalkeeper who wears the number 28, and it places him as a long-term project arriving at Anfield in the summer of 2027 without any indemnity reported.
The New York Times says Liverpool have agreed to pay a total fee in the region of €35million, with the 18-year-old returning to Genk on loan for the remainder of the 2026-27 season and signing a six-year contract at Anfield.
Who he replaces
The transfer is framed as succession planning for Liverpool’s goalkeeping department, with Alisson Becker described as the first-choice goalkeeper and his contract entering its final year at Anfield.
The New York Times notes that Alisson is entering the final year of his contract at Anfield, while it lists Mamardashvili, Freddie Woodman and Vitezslav Jaros as also in Liverpool’s goalkeeping ranks.
Sofascore’s analysis says Liverpool are “deux matchs du nouveau championnat de Premier League” and that the club currently occupy the 13e place after two nuls, with four buts marqués and four encaissés.
Mirror’s report adds that Brughmans’ immediate future is dependent on Giorgi Mamardashvili, who it says is being targeted by Nottingham Forest ahead of 11pm on Tuesday night, with Liverpool wanting to keep Mamardashvili as their back-up behind Alisson.
Development and stakes
Brughmans’ loan spell is positioned as a way to secure playing time while he develops, with Flashscore.co.za saying he has started all four of Genk’s matches at the start of the new campaign.
“He has started all four of Genk's matches at the start of the new campaign.”
The New York Times says he made his professional debut for Jong Genk aged 16 and last season stepped up to the first team and started all 10 of their Pro League play-off fixtures, and it adds that he has made 15 first-team appearances to date.
In Belgium, Sofascore’s match data for the 26/27 Pro League season says Brughmans began four matches for a total of 360 minutes, recorded a clean sheet, and conceded eight goals, with seven total saves including six on shots in the surface.
The stakes for Liverpool are tied to whether they can manage uncertainty around the No 1 position, and The New York Times warns that with one year remaining on Alisson’s contract, “the uncertainty around the No 1 position will grow as his time at the club edges towards the end.”