Simon Mignolet is set to leave Liverpool to join Club Brugge, and it has the potential to be a big mistake from the Reds.
According to claims from Kristof Terreur of Belgian news outlet HLN, via Twitter, the goalkeeper has arrived in his homeland ahead of a proposed move to the Jupiler Pro League club.
Twitter: Simon Mignolet will join Club Brugge on a permanent deal for 5 years. (@HLNinEngeland)
Mignolet had been poised to operate as the understudy to Alisson for the 2019/20 season, but in an unlikely turn of events, it seems he will be playing his football elsewhere, with an initial €7 million move agreed, as per Paul Joyce of The Times.
Twitter: Mignolet fee €7m rising to €9m with achievable bonuses (@_pauljoyce)
Read Liverpool’s verdict
It is certainly a bold move from the Reds to sanction the departure of their backup goalkeeper so late on in the transfer window. Jurgen Klopp will have less than a week to replace him, should he delve into the market as Joyce has indicated, with the deadline striking on Thursday evening.
Twitter: Simon Mignolet set to join Club Brugge. Due to undergo medical tomorrow. Liverpool will look to sign a new No2. (@_pauljoyce)
Mignolet has always divided opinion at Anfield, but it was commonly agreed that he would be a more than dependable number two behind Alisson, who has been starting since his record-breaking move from AS Roma last summer.
However, Liverpool have opted to allow him to return to Belgium, suggesting that plans are in place for a new second-choice shot-stopper to come through the door.
Whoever the Reds opt to sign, it is hard to imagine that they will be of a higher quality than Mignolet. Only time will tell, but this could be a risky bit of business from Klopp and his men behind the scenes.
