Man Utd hesitation punished, as Prem rival nip in for canny €20m signing that’ll cause huge selection headache

Man Utd are poised to miss out on signing a €20m-rated Dutchman who is set to hand Roberto De Zerbi a huge selection dilemma once arriving at Brighton, per reports.

The future of goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen always looked destined to come to a head this summer. The Dutch goalkeeper, 20, has emerged as one of European football’s finest young stoppers on the back of a stellar campaign with Anderlecht in Belgium.

Verbruggen had emerged on Man Utd’s radar, according to Fabrizio Romano. Fellow Premier League sides Burnley and Brighton also liked what they’ve seen from the 6ft 4in keeper.

Romano reported last week that Man Utd had “called to be informed” on what it would take to bring Verbruggen to Old Trafford.

Erik ten Hag has questions to answer between the sticks this off-season, most notably with David de Gea and Dean Henderson.

Tom Heaton will stick around for another 12 months after United activated his one-year option, though the futures of De Gea and Henderson are far from certain.

Henderson remains in talks over joining Nottingham Forest outright. De Gea, meanwhile, is out of contract on June 30 and talks over a new contract are yet to bring a breakthrough despite numerous reports claiming they’re progressing well.

But despite the uncertainty, Romano stated Man Utd hesitated and did not follow up on their interest in Verbruggen. Brighton did, and per the reporter, a move to the AMEX is on the cusp of completion.

Romano tweeted Brighton hope to seal a Verbruggen deal “this week”, with talks believed to be at the “final stages”.

Manager Roberto De Zerbi is a key driver behind the move, while reports from mainland Europe state the transfer fee will be €20m (approx. £17.05m).

La Dernière Heure claim the agreement between Brighton and Anderlecht is ‘almost total’. Het Nieuwsblad add more fuel to the fire, stating Verbruggen’s move is ‘almost complete’. Both outlets cited the same €20m figure.

Three into one won’t go for De Zerbi

If Verburggen’s deal does cross the line, De Zerbi will be faced with an almighty selection headache.

De Zerbi already has Robert Sanchez and Jason Steele on the books and Verbruggen will fancy his chances of forcing his way into the starting eleven too.

Steele finished the previous campaign as the No 1, something that put Sanchez’s nose out of joint and the Spaniard asked to be left out of several matchday squads as the season drew to a close.

However, despite rampant speculation Sanchez will leave Brighton this summer, the Athletic later claimed there could be a way back for Sanchez at the AMEX and an exit is not the guarantee some outlets are reporting.

Even if Sanchez were to depart, De Zerbi must choose between Steele and Verbruggen.

€20m goalkeepers are rarely signed to sit on the bench at clubs like Brighton who do not have the spending power of those they’re competing with in the traditional ‘top six’.

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