Missing out on a transfer is often one of the major heartbreaks in football and if Burnley want to avoid that with goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, they would do well to move for him sooner rather than later.
They’ve been chasing the Anderlecht goalkeeper since last summer, when Vincent Kompany tried very hard to bring him to Turf Moor as part of his numerous signings from Belgium.
A deal never happened but their interest has not waned since that point, with it explained on more than one occasion that they are likely to return for him this summer.
Their hopes of getting him were given a boost as it’s been explained Anderlecht need to sell in the summer due to financial issues.
In the meantime, Verbruggen has been impressing for Anderlecht as their new number one and Voetbal International, relaying Het Laatste Nieuws, cover that today, with interest in him apparently growing.
He was once again in ‘heroic’ mood as they beat Villarreal in the Europa Conference League last night, knocking the Spanish side out of the competition in the process.
That has led to people in Belgium waxing ‘lyrical’ about the goalkeeper and his performances, while the rest of Europe are also noticing him.
According to them the ‘top clubs are beckoning’, with Anderlecht expecting a big sale as his market value is also ‘exploding’.
The newspaper rank the Anderlecht goalkeeper highly, stating confidently that ‘there is no one in doubt: Verbruggen will one day be a goalkeeper of the calibre of Courtois, Manuel Neuer and Jan Oblak. Why shouldn’t Verbruggen immediately be the first goalkeeper of the Dutch national team?’
That’s an opinion shared by former Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen, who currently plays alongside Verbruggen and is equally impressed by him.
“I played at Tottenham with Hugo Lloris, but Bart can also reach that level if you see where he is at his age,” he is quoted saying to Het Nieuwsblad.
“We often drive to the club together because we live close to each other and Verbruggen has a huge personality. He is humble but ambitious. If I’m a big team and I have money to spend, I wouldn’t hesitate.”
This should all come as terrible news for Burnley, who were at the door for the goalkeeper before anyone else and were seemingly lining up a deal in the summer.
They now look very likely to face big competition for his signature, with Verbruggen continuing to impress and earning plenty of attention as a result.
Indeed, with Premier League promotion almost assured it might be wise for those in charge at Turf Moor to move now and try to get a deal done before that becomes impossible.
