Brighton and Hove Albion need to double their offer and more if they wish to sign Nathan De Cat from Anderlecht.
That’s according to Marc Delire, via Voetbal Belgie. He has been speaking about the 17-year-old in Dans le Vestiaire.
De Cat is currently considered one of the brightest young talents in Belgian football. He is one of Anderlecht’s youngest-ever debutants after making his first appearance for them at the age of 16.
He’s established himself as a regular starter for the senior squad this season. To date he’s managed 28 appearances in all competitions, with two goals and four assists in 27 in the Belgian Pro League.
Anderlecht star
There is already significant interest from the Premier League in him. Various reports have linked Tottenham, Aston Villa, Brighton, Nottingham Forest and Liverpool with potential moves.
Indeed, Brighton were particularly keen in the January transfer window. Sport Witness covered a report about them making a €20m bid on deadline day. Anderlecht rejected that outright, making it clear that they needed more to sell their top talent.
That’s an opinion shared by Delire. He believes the youngster is worth more than double that figure.
“He has to stay at Anderlecht for at least another year,” he said.
“Or Anderlecht has to sell him for at least €50m. If you see the amounts paid in England for players clearly less talented than him, then €50m is really the minimum.”
Contract until 2027
The big problem for Anderlecht is that De Cat’s current deal at Lotto Park only runs until 2027. That means he’ll enter this summer with just a year left on his deal.
Anderlecht are actively working on a deal to extend that, particularly to fend off interest from clubs around Europe. He can only sign a limited extension until he turns 18 in July, though. That gives clubs like Brighton a chance to perhaps lay the groundwork for a summer move.
Even if he does sign a new deal, that might stop the interested parties from making a move. €50m might be a little optimistic, though.
