Netherlands goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen could be the next Brighton player to join Chelsea as Liam Rosenior searches for an upgrade on Robert Sanchez, according to reports.
Verbruggen joined Brighton from Belgian side Anderlecht in July 2023 and has made 83 Premier League appearances.
The Dutch international shared the No.1 shirt with Jason Steele in his first year under Roberto De Zerbi but became the club’s undisputed first choice following Fabian Hurzeler’s arrival the following summer.
He initially struggled to consistently keep clean sheets in the Premier League and did not record his first until seven months after joining the Seagulls.
The 23-year-old has recorded 21 clean sheets in 93 top-flight appearances for Brighton, five of which have come in 2025/26.
Regardless, he has established himself as Ronald Koeman’s first-choice goalkeeper for the Netherlands, and at only 23 years old, there is plenty of room for improvement.
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Chelsea monitoring Verbruggen as Manchester United interest fades
He has reportedly impressed Chelsea enough for them to consider signing him as a replacement for former Brighton goalkeeper Sanchez.
According to Football Insider correspondent Mick Brown, a former chief scout at Manchester United, Chelsea are keen but could face competition from the Red Devils.
“Chelsea are definitely keeping an eye on Verbruggen,” Brown said.
“I know Man United have looked at him before as well, but that seems to have faded and I think they’re happy with the options they’ve got.
“Chelsea, on the other hand, I don’t think they’re happy with Sanchez.
“He’s not that sort of calming, consistent presence you want at the back to control things. He can be a bit all over the place at times and that’s not good.
“Verbruggen is a good goalkeeper. He’s composed in possession and he’s a good shot-stopper, so he’ll tick a lot of boxes for Chelsea in that respect.
“I can see that happening in the summer, definitely. It’s another Brighton player going to Chelsea – they seem to have a good relationship there, which always helps.”
Verbruggen vs Sanchez show Chelsea upgrade
Chelsea should definitely be looking for an upgrade on Sanchez because, as Brown says, he does not bring much calm or control to Rosenior’s backline.
Verbruggen would represent an improvement. The statistics support that claim. In our ranking of the best shot-stoppers in the Premier League, the Dutchman scores 70.1, while Sanchez scores 62.1 and is technically the sixth-worst goalkeeper out of 24 in the division.
Chelsea’s Brighton transfer trend under Todd Boehly continues
If Chelsea were to sign Verbruggen, he would be the fifth player brought in from Brighton since Todd Boehly bought the club in 2022.
Most recently, the Blues bought Brazilian forward Joao Pedro for £55million and signed Facundo Buonanotte on loan.
Chelsea had a year off in 2024/25 after spending a combined £125million on Sanchez and Moises Caicedo in 2023, a year after Marc Cucurella swapped the south coast for the capital for £62million.
On top of that, the Londoners have also paid significant compensation packages to Brighton for coaching staff, led by former head coach Graham Potter.
Verbruggen cost Brighton around £15million and would surely command around quadruple that fee if Chelsea come calling.
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