Chelsea ready to launch £50m bid for classy Prem goalkeeper as Winstanley APPROVES move | OneFootball

Chelsea are gearing up to challenge Bayern Munich for the signing of Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and crucially, TEAMtalk understands the Blues are prepared to match the Seagulls’ £50million tag.

The 23-year-old has quickly established himself as one of Europe’s most highly-rated young shot-stoppers since arriving from Anderlecht in 2023, and his progress has sparked serious interest across the continent.

As we previously revealed, Tottenham had the Dutchman on their radar, but their inability to guarantee Champions League football has left them well behind the frontrunners. He is also on Newcastle’s radar but a similar issue exists.

Bayern Munich have been tracking Verbruggen since last summer, when they made initial enquiries. At that stage, the player was not pushing for a move but TEAMtalk understands that he is ready to move this summer.

With just over two years remaining on his Brighton deal, Verbruggen is ready to take the next step in his career.

The Bundesliga giants remain firmly in the mix and view him as a leading candidate to succeed club legend Manuel Neuer, who turns 40 next month. But Bayern now face heavyweight competition.

We can reveal that Chelsea are preparing a serious push of their own, with Liam Rosenior looking to bring in more competition for the inconsistent Robert Sanchez.

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Paul Winstanley approves Chelsea move for Brighton star

Chelsea explored a move for Mike Maignan last summer and again considered bringing him in on a free transfer, only for the Frenchman to commit his future to AC Milan – with Max Allegri playing a decisive role in convincing him to stay.

Chelsea have since shifted their focus to alternative options, and Verbruggen has moved to the forefront of discussions at Stamford Bridge.

Sources have confirmed us that co-sporting director Paul Winstanley and head of global goalkeeping Ben Roberts both carried out extensive work on Verbruggen during their time at Brighton. Winstanley served as the club’s head of scouting, while Roberts was their goalkeeping coach, and both were heavily involved in the early groundwork that preceded the Dutchman’s eventual arrival at the Amex.

Although the pair left Brighton in late 2022 – months before Verbruggen completed his move – they are now fully backing Chelsea’s renewed pursuit.

And in a development that will interest Seagulls fans, we understand Chelsea – who are no strangers to paying big money to Brighton following their record-breaking swoop for Moises Caicedo – are ready to tempt the south-coast club again.

Sources believe Brighton would demand in excess of £50million for Verbruggen, a figure the Blues are prepared to engage with.

Chelsea do have internal options, including the possibility of recalling highly-rated Mike Penders from sister club Strasbourg. But there is a growing acceptance within the club that Verbruggen is one of Europe’s finest emerging keepers and ready to step in as a long-term No.1.

With Bayern pushing and Chelsea now firmly in the race, the battle for Verbruggen is shaping up to be one of the defining goalkeeper sagas of the summer window.

Latest Chelsea news: £150m Brighton raid / Striker chase update

Meanwhile, my colleague, Fraser Fletcher, has reported that Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are the clubs leading the race to sign Brighton star Carlos Baleba.

Brighton are expected to demand in the region of £100million for the midfielder, so the Blues would need to stump up around £150million to sign both him and Verbruggen this summer.

In other news, we have revealed that Chelsea are considering a move for Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic. His contract expires at the end of the season, so he’s set to be available on a free transfer.

The development comes amid uncertainty surrounding the future of Liam Delap, who is fighting for his future at Stamford Bridge.