Liverpool sign 18-year-old Belgian goalkeeper Brughmans in £30m deal as Alisson's future remains uncertain

Liverpool have agreed to sign Belgian goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans from Genk in a deal that could reach £30m, with the 18-year-old set to return to his current club on loan for the remainder of the season before joining Anfield. Brughmans has signed a six-year contract as Liverpool begin planning for a future without Alisson, whose deal expires in 2027.

The initial fee Liverpool will pay is nominal, but performance-related bonuses could take the total package to £30m. Brughmans came through the Genk academy — the same pathway that produced Thibaut Courtois — and established himself as the club’s first-choice goalkeeper towards the end of last season.

The signing fits a deliberate strategy at Liverpool of acquiring talented young goalkeepers early. Armin Pesci, another emerging shot-stopper, was brought in last year under the same approach, and Brughmans is seen as a player with significant room to develop before potentially competing for the number-one shirt.

Brughmans is not the only young talent being integrated into the squad. Centre-backs Mor Talla N’Diaye and Ifeanyi Ndukwe, both of whom impressed during pre-season, are also part of a broader generational refresh at the club. Liverpool sold several of their younger players last summer, and the current crop represents a renewed commitment to building depth through youth.

With Alisson now in the final year of his contract, Liverpool’s long-term goalkeeping succession plan is beginning to take shape, even if Brughmans is unlikely to challenge for a starting role before the 2026-27 season at the earliest.