‘I never saw that coming’ – Huge Liverpool transfer ‘shocked’ player’s team-mates | OneFootball

Livepool spending big money on Genk goalkeeper Lucca Brughmans “shocked” his team-mates and the staff at the Belgian club.

The Reds made the stunning deadline day signing of Genk starlet Brughmans, agreeing a £30m deal to take the 18-year-old to Anfield.

Brughmans will spend the rest of this season at Genk before making the move to Liverpool with the Belgium Under-19 international making four appearances for the Belgian Pro League outfit this term.

TEAMtalk transfer insider Graeme Bailey recently revealed that Liverpool beat off competition from Arsenal and Real Madrid to sign the youngster.

Bailey said just over a fortnight ago: ‘TEAMtalk understands that both Arsenal and Real Madrid held talks over Brughmans, but Liverpool have succeeded in convincing him to join their project – with a clear pathway into their first-team seen as key to beating their rivals to his signature.

‘The teenager is viewed as a potential long-term successor to Alisson, although that pathway is not expected to open until 2027.’

Genk director of football Dimitri de Conde revealed earlier this week that the size of the transfer to Liverpool took him and the Belgium club’s management by surprise.

De Conde said: “I knew he was on the radar of top clubs.

“That he’d even visited Real Madrid. And that he was one of the lads we hoped to get a handsome fee for at some point, to ensure the club’s survival. But for it to happen *that* quickly. And for *that* amount… I never saw that coming.”

The Genk director of football added: “People saying ‘It’s fantastic what De Conde achieved with his experience regarding Lucca’s transfer!?’ Sorry, but that’s not the case.”

He concluded: “In the end, I got a call from his agency at 11am on a Sunday, two days before the English transfer window closed.

“‘Liverpool is serious. This is the offer.’ And the very next morning, Lucca was on a plane to Liverpool. I do take credit for the fact that we, as a club, chose that path.”

‘I was genuinely shocked when I heard about it’

And the players were also surprised by Brughmans move with defender Josué Kongolo mentioning his “shock” at the deal while quizzed over his own future away from Genk.

When asked by Gazet Van Antwerpen about his potential future destination, Kongolo touched on Brughmans: “Do I want to go to the Premier League? I think that for my next step – someday, that is – I might consider a move to Germany.

“That seems like a great stepping stone to even bigger leagues. But I’m still young. Let me prove myself here a bit more first. I really enjoyed watching Kos Karetsas’s early moments at Dortmund. We all sent him a message. Especially when he was named Man of the Match.

“It’s brilliant for him and a great example for us. It proves that your dreams can come true if you work hard for them. Kos also said he feels really good there.

“I’m happy for Lucca Brughmans too, by the way; that transfer to Liverpool is amazing. I was genuinely shocked when I heard about it.”