Brighton & Hove Albion will have to double or more their offer if they are to sign Nathan de Cat from Anderlecht.
This is according to Mark Delire, Via Football Belgium. He's speaking about the 17-year-old in Dans le Vestier.
De Cat is currently considered one of the brightest young talents in Belgian football. He is one of the youngest debutants to debut for Anderlecht at the age of 16.
He has established himself as a regular starter for the senior team this season. To date he has made 28 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals and four assists in 27 appearances in the Belgian Pro League.
anderlecht star
There is already a lot of interest in him from the Premier League. Various reports have linked Tottenham, Aston Villa, Brighton, Nottingham Forest and Liverpool with a possible move.
Indeed, Brighton were particularly keen in the January transfer window. Sport Witness covered a report about They are bidding €20m on deadline day. Anderlecht rejected this outright, making it clear they needed to do more to sell their top talent.
This is an opinion shared by Delire. He believes this youngster is worth more than double that figure.
"He has to stay at Anderlecht for at least one more year," He said.
"Or Anderlecht would have to sell him for at least €50m. If you look at the amount they pay for players clearly less talented than him in England, €50m is really the minimum."
contract till 2027
The bigger problem for Anderlecht is that De Cat's current deal at Lotto Park only runs until 2027. This means he will enter this summer with just one year remaining on his deal.
Anderlecht are actively working on a deal to extend his extension, especially given interest from clubs across Europe. However, he can only sign a limited extension until he turns 18 in July. This gives clubs like Brighton the opportunity to perhaps lay the groundwork for a summer move.
Even if he signs a new deal, this could put off interested parties from making a move. However, €50m may be a bit optimistic.
