Liverpool beat Real Madrid to £30m Brughmans as Barcola faces 'not worth it' verdict

Liverpool secured teenage goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans for £30m on transfer deadline day, beating Real Madrid to a player many expect to become the long-term successor to Alisson Becker — whose contract at Anfield expires next summer.

The 18-year-old Belgian, who had visited Madrid and appeared set to follow compatriot Thibaut Courtois to the Bernabéu, instead travelled to Merseyside the morning after Liverpool made their offer to Genk, signing a deal that makes him the most expensive teenage goalkeeper in football history. Brughmans has returned to Genk on loan for the remainder of the season.

The transfer coup comes as Liverpool enter the international break in reasonable shape under new head coach Andoni Iraola. The Reds sit sixth in the Premier League with two wins and three draws from their opening five games, and have kept three consecutive clean sheets — a run not achieved since their title-winning 2024-25 campaign. Their last outing before the break was a 1-0 victory over Iraola’s former club Bournemouth.

Not everything has gone smoothly, however. Bradley Barcola, who joined for £123m to become the second-most expensive signing in the club’s history, has yet to register a goal or assist and has not completed a full 90 minutes in a Liverpool shirt. Former France and Chelsea defender Frank Leboeuf has been blunt in his assessment.

“Bradley Barcola wasn’t worth that money because nobody is — transfer fees have become astronomical across the board,” Leboeuf said. “That said, it’s a great opportunity for Barcola to play for clubs like Lyon, PSG and now Liverpool.”

The 58-year-old did urge patience, noting the scale of the rebuild around the 24-year-old winger. “He needs time to adapt because the Premier League is different. He will get less space than he had at PSG under Luis Enrique. He joined a team undergoing significant changes — Liverpool signed Isak, Ekitike, Wirtz and new full-backs, and the team is still finding its rhythm.”