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Chelsea receive green light to complete game-changing €60m signing
Tom Weber
- 11 Feb 2026 17:35 GMT
- 4 min read
News
Chelsea are ready to pay Brighton's asking price for Bart Verbruggen, according to a report.
The Blues have had a goalkeeper problem ever since Thibaut Courtois departed for Real Madrid in 2018. Various shot-stoppers have come and gone, but no one has managed to consistently impress.
Robert Sanchez is the current No.1. Although the Spaniard has improved compared to last season, he still has the occasional moment of madness and makes mistakes a Premier League goalkeeper should not make.
Current ETV
Robert Sánchez
GK
Chelsea
Robert Sánchez
GK
Chelsea
ETV Range
€23.3M - €28.5M
Unsurprisingly, Chelsea looked into a deal for AC Milan star Mike Maignan last summer. No agreement was reached, and the Frenchman has now penned a new contract at the San Siro.
Since making the attempt for Maignan, Chelsea have refrained from dipping into the goalkeeper market again because Mike Penders will return to the club from his Strasbourg loan in the summer. They have high hopes for the young Belgian.
Chelsea to move for Verbruggen?
However, TEAMtalk now claims that Chelsea could make a strong push for Brighton shot-stopper Bart Verbruggen. Liam Rosenior is unconvinced by Sanchez and wants to bring in a reliable senior goalkeeper.
He also coached Penders at Strasbourg and will know better than most if the 20-year-old is ready to start between the sticks for one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League.
Verbruggen has a little over two years remaining on his contract at the Amex and is keen to take the next step in his career this summer. Crucially, Chelsea's club chiefs know Verbruggen well.
Sporting director Paul Winstanley and head of global goalkeeping Ben Roberts both previously worked at Brighton. They are intimately familiar with the 23-year-old, having been involved in the identification and eventual signing of him, and have endorsed the move.
It is claimed that Winstanley is ready to meet Brighton's hefty asking price of close to €60 million. His current Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) is €46.7m. Bayern and Tottenham are also said to be keen on the Dutchman.
However, the former are unlikely to sign a new goalkeeper if club legend Manuel Neuer decides to keep playing for another year, while Spurs are considered an unlikely destination as they will surely not be playing Champions League football next season.
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