Liverpool complete signing of Lucca Brughmans in deal worth up to £30m
Liverpool have completed the signing of 18-year-old goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans from Belgian side Genk in a deal that could be worth up to £30m including add-ons. The Belgian keeper will remain at Genk on loan this season and is scheduled to move to Anfield ahead of the 2027-28 campaign.
Brughmans has agreed a six-year contract with Liverpool. BBC Sport understands the transfer includes an initial fee alongside follow-up payments, with the figure of around £30m described as the maximum achievable under the terms. The deal is structured to allow further payments to Genk dependent on future conditions.
The 6ft 7in goalkeeper has started all four of Genk's games this season and has represented his country at youth level. Those appearances formed part of the scouting evidence that preceded Liverpool's bid. Brughmans is 18 years old.
Liverpool's current senior goalkeeping options are Alisson, Giorgi Mamardashvili, Freddie Woodman and Vitezslav Jaros. Alisson's contract is due to expire next summer and Mamardashvili's future is described as uncertain, leaving room for Brughmans to be considered from summer 2027 onwards. The club view Brughmans as an option for the squad after his loan return.
The transfer emerged from work by Liverpool's global talent department, which is led by Matt Newberry. Earlier this year that department signed Senegal's Mor Talla N'diaye and Austria's Ifeanyi Ndukwe after the teenage centre-backs both impressed at the U17 World Cup in Qatar. Those acquisitions were cited alongside the Brughmans move as part of Liverpool's international recruitment activity.
Goalkeeper Armin Pecsi and midfielder Samuel Martinez have both joined Liverpool in the last 12 months from Hungary and Colombia, respectively. Pecsi is spending this season on loan at TSV Hartberg in Germany. Both players were listed by BBC Sport as recent additions within the club's wider recruitment drive.
Brughmans will remain at Genk on loan for the current season and will move to Liverpool ahead of the 2027-28 campaign, at which point he will be available as a goalkeeping option for the club.