TBR Football can exclusively reveal the transfer stance of Chelsea and Manchester City target Bart Verbruggen.
Both Chelsea and Manchester City are set to look for reinforcements in between the sticks this summer.
The Blues have been alternating between Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen this term, but both have come under some criticism.
City haven’t had much luck in goal either, with Ederson far from his best this season and the jury still being out on Stefan Ortega.
Meanwhile, Verbruggen has been shining at Brighton and making a name for himself as one of the best young goalkeeper around.
Bart Verbruggen set to let Chelsea and Manchester City down with Brighton stay on the cards
However, TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey understands that Verbruggen has told Brighton he is not looking to leave the club this summer.
The 22-year-old has emerged as one of the most highly-rated young goalkeepers in world football.
Verbruggen has caught the attention of a host of clubs, including Chelsea, whose goalkeeping chief Ben Roberts is understood to rate extremely highly.
Man City are also looking at potential options to replace their first-choice keeper this summer, Ederson having previously being linked with a move to Saudi Arabia.
We also understand that Barcelona and Bayern Munich are also admirers of Verbruggen, watching him closely this season.
However, sources with knowledge of the situation have confirmed to TBR Football that Verbruggen and his camp are not in a hurry to quit the AMEX Stadium.
They feel at least another 12 months at Brighton would be beneficial and sensible at this point of his career.
Why Bart Verbruggen has a bright future ahead
Verbruggen joined Brighton from Anderlecht for around £16million in 2023 and he has made a real name for himself in the Premier League.
The 22-year-old has made 58 appearances for the Seagulls, keeping 15 clean sheets, and has also won 20 caps for the Netherlands.
Jack Stern, Brighton’s goalkeeping coach, spoke highly of Verbruggen last year.
“He’s incredibly good with his feet and has the ability to execute passes that only the top goalkeepers can and also the vision to see those passes,” he told The Athletic.
“But he’s also got all the attributes of an old-fashioned goalkeeper: stopping the ball, making saves. He’s good coming for crosses and defending his box.
“He’s dominant and good at defending the space outside his box. He doesn’t really have a key area of weakness.
“He’s got lots of things that he needs to keep working on, but there’s no area of his game that’s really lacking.”
Stern added: “When we signed him we were sure we were getting a really good person as well as a really good goalkeeper.
“He’s a world-class professional – he’s going to be one of the best goalkeepers in the world eventually.”
