Genk (The Brussels Morning Newspaper) October 23 – KRC Genk Director of Football Dimitri de Conde has revealed the details behind the unexpected transfer of 18-year-old goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans to Liverpool for a fee that could reach £30 million (€35 million / $41 million). De Conde expressed surprise at the speed and scale of the transaction, which was finalized late in the transfer window. Under the terms of the agreement, the Belgian international prospect remains on loan at Genk for the 2026/27 season before officially joining the Premier League club in July 2027.
Rapid Transfer Negotiations and Unexpected Figures Stun Genk Hierarchy
KRC Genk Director of Football Dimitri de Conde has outlined the sequence of events that led to the late-window sale of teenage goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans to Liverpool Football Club. Speaking to Belgian publication Het Laatste Nieuws, De Conde admitted that while the club recognized the 18-year-old’s high market value, the timing and magnitude of the Premier League club’s formal offer took the Belgian outfit by surprise.
Liverpool agreed a deal worth up to £30 million (€35 million) for the young goalkeeper, who had previously drawn formal interest and scouting visits from European clubs including Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Despite being aware of wide-ranging international interest, Genk did not anticipate a final resolution occurring so rapidly near the conclusion of the English transfer window.
De Conde revealed that the initial contact from Brughmans’ agency occurred at 11:00 am on a Sunday, just two days prior to the closure of the English transfer window. The agency presented Liverpool’s concrete offer, prompting swift movement between the two clubs. By the following morning, Brughmans was on a flight to England to complete the formal requirements of the transfer.
The executive noted that his initial reaction to the incoming proposal was one of immediate operational concern, given that Genk had a scheduled competitive fixture just days later. However, the structuring of the agreement allowed Brughmans to be loaned back to the Belgian club immediately for the duration of the 2026/27 campaign, preserving Genk’s primary goalkeeping option while securing a record-setting future fee.
Credit for Player Development and Decision to Grant First-Team Opportunities
Addressing public comments regarding the negotiation process, De Conde clarified that the outcome was not the result of prolonged tactical bargaining on his part, but rather the direct consequence of Liverpool meeting Genk’s internal valuation without hesitation.
While downplaying personal praise for engineering the financial terms, De Conde took credit for the club’s structural policy of integrating young players into the senior squad. He highlighted the strategic decision by the club’s technical hierarchy to grant Brughmans first-team exposure during the Play-Off 2 stage of the Belgian Pro League, a move that accelerated the player’s development and showcased his capabilities to visiting European scouts.
The club’s belief in the player was reflected in his selection, which ultimately validated the academy pipeline that has historically produced high-profile goalkeepers, including Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois. Upon joining the senior Genk squad, Brughmans was assigned the number 28 shirt, the same squad number previously worn by Courtois during his early career at the club.
Lucca Brughmans Career Trajectory from Academy Roots to First-Team Success
Lucca Brughmans was born in Antwerp and began his youth football career at local club Kalmthout SK before a brief spell in the academy system of Royal Antwerp. At the age of 11, he moved to the Netherlands to join the youth setup at PSV Eindhoven, spending three years developing his technical skills and distribution within their academy system.
In 2022, Brughmans returned to Belgium to sign with KRC Genk. His progression through the club’s youth tiers was rapid, leading to his captaincy of the Belgium Under-17 national team at both the UEFA European Under-17 Championship and the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Brughmans made his professional senior debut at the age of 16 for Jong Genk in the Challenger Pro League in January 2025. He established himself in the second tier with 11 appearances during that campaign, maintaining his place the following season to earn promotion to the senior squad bench.
Injuries within the first-team squad created an opening for his top-flight debut in the Belgian Pro League late in the 2025/26 season, specifically in a crucial Europa League play-off match against his former youth club, Royal Antwerp. His composed performance in that fixture persuaded head coach Nicky Hayen to retain him as the starting goalkeeper, prompting Genk to secure him to a long-term contract extension prior to Liverpool’s late summer intervention.
Immediate Return to Action and Long-Term Integration Plan at Liverpool
Following the completion of his medical and contract signing in England, Brughmans returned immediately to Belgium to resume training with Genk ahead of their domestic fixtures. In his first match following the transfer announcement, Brughmans produced a Man of the Match performance in a league fixture against RSC Anderlecht, making critical saves to secure a point for his team.
Speaking on the transition, Brughmans stated that the club’s internal dynamic toward him remained unchanged and that remaining at Genk on loan for the 2026/27 season aligned with his personal development plan. The player confirmed his long-term ambition is to compete for the starting goalkeeper role at Liverpool upon his permanent arrival at Anfield in July 2027.
