Liverpool F.C. Have agreed a deal to sign 18-year-old goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans from Belgian club Genk for a fee of £30 million. The Athletic reports the agreement is for a fixed fee of around €33 million (£28.3m) with a further €2 million in potential add-ons, making it a record sum for a teenage goalkeeper. Brughmans will remain at Genk on loan for the 2026-27 season before joining Liverpool next summer.
The £30 million fee surpasses the previous record for a teenage goalkeeper, which was set when Mike Penders moved from Genk to Chelsea for £17 million in 2024. It also eclipses the £12 million Inter Milan paid for Sebastien Frey back in 1998. This investment signals Liverpool's commitment to securing a top prospect for the future. Sporting director Richard Hughes, who signed Giorgi Mamardashvili for £35 million in his first summer, is again targeting a high-potential goalkeeper.
Gregg Evans, Liverpool correspondent for The Athletic, said: "This is an unexpected deal for Liverpool and one that opens up plenty of questions about the future of the goalkeeping department."
Liverpool's goalkeeping situation is in a state of flux. First-choice Alisson Becker is entering the final year of his contract, with a club option for an extra year triggered last season. The Georgian keeper Mamardashvili, brought in as a potential successor, has yet to make a significant impact and could still depart before the transfer deadline. Behind them, Freddie Woodman is viewed as a third-choice option, Vitezslav Jaros is injured until at least December, and Armin Pecsi is on loan at TSV Hartberg for the season. This leaves no clear understudy for Alisson, making the Brughmans deal a forward-looking move.
Lucca Brughmans is an 18-year-old Belgian goalkeeper who has risen rapidly through the ranks at Genk. He made his professional debut for Jong Genk at 16 and broke into the first team last season, starting all 10 of their Pro League play-off fixtures. This season, he has started all four of Genk's matches, keeping a clean sheet in a recent 4-0 win over SK Beveren, bringing his total first-team appearances to 15. A graduate of the famed Genk academy that produced Thibaut Courtois, Brughmans even wears the No 28 shirt Courtois wore at the club. He has captained Belgium at various youth levels, leading the Under-17s at the European Championship and World Cup last year before progressing to the Under-18 and Under-19 sides.
The deal for Brughmans is a clear statement of planning for the future, but it comes as Liverpool seek stability in the present. The team currently sits 13th in the Premier League with 2 points from two draws in their opening games. They have scored and conceded four goals, leaving them with a zero goal difference and four points behind early leaders Manchester City. Their next test is an away trip to face Ipswich Town on 4 September. Fans can track the team's progress on our standings and fixtures pages.
Evans added: "It feels, therefore, that he's very much one for the future."
The immediate focus returns to the current squad and the short-term. With the transfer window closing, the future of Mamardashvili must be resolved. If he stays, Brughmans will almost certainly complete his loan season at Genk. If he leaves, Liverpool may need to assess their options more urgently. For now, Alisson remains the undisputed number one as the club handles the early season. The move for Brughmans, who extended his Genk contract to 2030 in July, is a long-term play. It reflects a strategy to secure elite young talent, even if integrating an 18-year-old directly into the Premier League squad would be a major gamble. Supporters can view the full roster on our squad page.
