Liverpool, Manchester United interested in Anderlecht's Bart Verbruggen?

Liverpool and Manchester United are reportedly interested in signing Anderlecht goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.

The 20-year-old joined Anderlecht for €300,000 (£265,461) from NAC Breda in the summer of 2020, but he had to remain patient for his first-team debut, which arrived in May 2021.

Apart from featuring in a domestic cup game in October, Verbruggen spent the first half of the 2022-23 campaign with Anderlecht's futures side, competing in the Belgian second division.

However, since featuring for the senior side in a 1-0 victory over RSC Charleroi on Boxing Day, the Dutchman has established himself as the club's first-choice goalkeeper.

Verbruggen has now made 17 appearances for Anderlecht this season, keeping six clean sheets in that period.

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The young goalkeeper kept Villarreal at bay in Thursday's 1-0 second-leg victory to help his side advance to the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League with a 2-1 aggregate win.

As a result of his impressive displays, Verbruggen recently earned his first call-up to the Netherlands squad for their upcoming Euro 2024 qualifiers against France and Gibraltar.

Verbruggen is also attracting interest from two Premier League giants, with Het Laatste Nieuws reporting that Liverpool and Man United are both keeping tabs on the shot-stopper.

Alisson Becker is currently Jurgen Klopp's undisputed first-choice goalkeeper, but there is uncertainty surrounding the future of Caoimhin Kelleher.

The Republic of Ireland international has only made three appearances this season, and at the age of 24, he is keen to play regular first-team football.

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Kelleher still has a contract with the Reds until June 2026, and the Merseyside club want to retain his services.

However, they understand his desire to increase his playing time, and as a result, they are not expected to prevent him from departing in the summer.

Man United, meanwhile, are still yet to decide on the future of David de Gea, who is out of contract until the end of the season.

The Red Devils have the option to extend his deal by a further year, but even if the Spaniard remains at Old Trafford, there is a possibility that Tom Heaton, Dean Henderson and Jack Butland could all depart in the summer.

If Man United or Liverpool decide to move for Verbruggen then they may have to meet Anderlecht's asking price, which is believed to be €10m (£8.9m).