Brighton close to beating Burnley in the race for Anderlecht goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen | OneFootball

Brighton & Hove Albion are on the verge of closing a deal to sign highly-rated Anderlecht goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen.

According to The Athletic, the Seagulls will fork out £17 million for the Dutchman in a huge blow to newly promoted Burnley, who were also keen on the impressive shot-stopper.

Burnley manager Vincent Kompany was looking forward to reuniting with Verbruggen at Turf Moor after working with the Netherlands under-21 goalie at Anderlecht.

However, Verbruggen reportedly favours a move to the Amex Stadium, with Brighton able to offer Europa League football after finishing sixth in the Premier League last season.

Verbruggen was one of the standout performers in a massively underwhelming Anderlecht campaign last season, keeping ten clean sheets in 23 appearances across all competitions.

Anderlecht could look to sign Blackburn Rovers goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski as a possible replacement for Verbruggen. Rovers will demand around £6m for the Belgian.

The 30-year-old lost his place in the starting line-up to Aynsley Pears last season, and Anderlecht could look to bring him back to the Belgian top flight after he left Gent to join Blackburn in 2020.

Anderlecht also have Arsenal’s third-choice goalkeeper Runar Alex Runarsson on their shortlist of possible replacements for Verbruggen, with the 28-year-old falling out of favour at the Emirates Stadium.

The Iceland international spent the last season on loan in the Turkish top flight making 32 appearances across all competitions for Alanyaspor while contributing six clean sheets.

Verbruggen has plenty of admirers across Europe, with Manchester United and Bayern Munich previously monitoring his development in Belgium.

However, Brighton look to have stolen a march on other potential suitors to wrap up a deal for the impressive goalkeeper who has the attributes to succeed in Roberto De Zerbi’s possession-based system.

Verbruggen’s impending arrival at the Amex could open the door for former first-choice goalkeeper Robert Sanchez to leave the club this summer.

The Spaniard lost his place in the starting line-up to Jason Steele, whose passing range and accuracy caught De Zerbi’s attention.

Sanchez has been linked with a move to Chelsea, who are in the market for a new goalkeeper.