There’s been a bit of a theme developing around Lucca Brughmans’ move to Liverpool this summer.
The youngster joined the Reds at the end of the window, signing in a €30m deal from Genk. He’ll be spending the season with the Belgian side before heading to Anfield next summer.
The plan, it seems, is for him to be Liverpool’s new number one long-term. He is likely to replace Alisson, should the Brazilian depart next summer at the end of his contract.
Given the arrival of Bradley Barcola, the move ended up a little overshadowed. Indeed, it caught many by surprise. That was certainly the case at Genk.
Genk suprise
Earlier this week, their director of football Dimitri de Conde admitted even he had been left surprised by the deal.
“I knew he was on the radar of top clubs,” he said.
“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.”
He even insisted that he had very little to do with the transfer fee that Liverpool paid. In fact, it seemed to be a case of Liverpool doing little negotiating on that front.
“People saying ‘It’s fantastic what De Conde achieved with his experience regarding Lucca’s transfer!’? Sorry, but that’s not the case,” he added.
“In the end, I got a call from his agency at 11am on a Sunday, two days before the English transfer window closed,” he concluded.
“‘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.”
| Every Liverpool signing 26/27 | Previous Club | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Player | Previous Club | Transfer Type / Fee |
| Bradley Barcola | Paris Saint-Germain | £123m |
| Jérémy Jacquet | Rennes | £60m |
| Víctor Muñoz | CA Osasuna | £34.5m |
| Lucca Brughmans | KRC Genk | £30m |
| Djylian N'Guessan | Saint-Étienne | €5m |
| Ifeanyi Ndukwe | Austria Vienna | £2.6m |
| Ronald Araújo | Barcelona | Loan |
Teammates are also shocked
That sense of surprise isn’t just in the Genk boardroom. Even defender Josué Kongolo is willing to admit the transfer raised eyebrows.
He was recently asked by Gazet Van Antwerpen, in Thursday’s print edition, about where he wants to end up in future. And he referenced the new Liverpool signing in his response.
“Do I want to go to the Premier League? I think that for my next step – someday, that is – I might consider a move to Germany,” he said.
“That seems like a great stepping stone to even bigger leagues. But I’m still young. Let me prove myself here a bit more first. I really enjoyed watching Kos Karetsas’s early moments at Dortmund. We all sent him a message. Especially when he was named Man of the Match.
“It’s brilliant for him and a great example for us. It proves that your dreams can come true if you work hard for them. Kos also said he feels really good there.
“I’m happy for Lucca Brughmans too, by the way; that transfer to Liverpool is amazing. I was genuinely shocked when I heard about it.”
🇩🇪 Toni Kroos was asked which three players who weren’t at the World Cup should be in Jurgen Klopp’s first squad… he said Florian Wirtz, in sarcastic response referring to him not turning up in the UShttps://t.co/EuQlb7QtNl #lfc
— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) September 16, 2026
