Bart Verbruggen joins Brighton & Hove Albion on five-year contract

Dutch goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen has signed for Brighton & Hove Albion from Anderlecht on a five-year contract.

The 20-year-old departs Anderlecht following a successful three-year spell in Belgium and has committed his future to Roberto De Zerbi's side until the summer of 2028.

Brighton have reportedly paid €20m (£17.2m) to make Verbruggen their fourth signing of the window, following the arrivals of Joao Pedro, James Milner and Mahmoud Dahoud.

"I am very pleased to have signed Bart. He is used to playing a type of football similar to ours and he will have no problem fitting into our group," De Zerbi told the official Brighton website. "He has the potential to become a very important player for the club in the coming years."

Verbruggen came through the NAC Breda youth setup but did not make a single appearance for their first team, and he was sold to Anderlecht for €2.3m (£2m) in the summer of 2020.

The Dutch youngster enjoyed his first foray into first-team football with the Belgian giants, keeping 11 clean sheets in 31 games across all competitions.

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Initially continuing his development for Anderlecht's youth team, Verbruggen made the step-up to senior football in the second half of the 2022-23 season, recording eight clean sheets in 17 Juliper Pro League matches.

Verbruggen also played every minute of Anderlecht's Europa Conference League knockout games, as the Belgian outfit lost to AZ Alkmaar on penalties in the quarter-finals.

"I'm really happy to be here, I'm really excited, it's an amazing club with amazing people and I can't wait to get started," the goalkeeper told Brighton's media channels.

"Most of all I liked the way they played last season with the manager and the players they have. I think it's a good fit so that's why I decided to come here.

"I've always felt quite comfortable with the ball at my feet and I like to play out from the back, maybe I even enjoy that more than saving the ball sometimes!"

A four-cap Netherlands Under-21 international, Verbruggen played every minute of Jong Oranje's recent run at the Under-21 European Championships, while he earned his first call-up for the senior team for March's Euro 2024 qualifying win over Gibraltar.

Verbruggen arrives at the American Express Community Stadium to compete with Jason Steele and Robert Sanchez for the gloves, but the latter's future has now been plunged into even more uncertainty after he played in just one of Brighton's last 16 Premier League games in 2022-23, failing to make the squad for their final five.