Another season, another young Genk goalkeeper being signed by a Premier League side. After Mike Penders played just twice for the Genk senior side, Chelsea snapped him up, before sending him back on loan for another 24 games. Since then, Penders has had a season in France with Strasbourg and made his senior Chelsea debut in the EFL Cup.

This summer, Lucca Brughmans is set to leave Genk to join Liverpool for what is being reported as a deal in the region of €35m. While this may be pennies to a Premier League side, this is a huge fee for a Belgian side, especially for an 18-year-old who has only played 15 games so far. Liverpool fans may be questioning why they are spending such a huge amount of money on a teenage goalkeeper who has barely begun his career, especially when there could be other areas of the squad strengthened with that money.

But perhaps, Liverpool have decided to just get ahead of the game. Genk’s goalkeeping talent factory is arguably the best in the world. Penders and Brughmans are just following in the footsteps of Thibaut Courtois, Maarten Vandevoordt and Koen Casteels. All three came through the talent factory that is Genk, and all three have gone on to play in top European leagues and the Belgian national team. Liverpool are banking on that system producing quality goalkeepers and have decided that, rather than wait for another side to sign Brughmans and inflate his price even further, they will just get him into the club early.

Its obviously a risk. Brughmans has shown promise, and last season he beat out the more experienced Hendrik van Crombrugge and Tobias Lawal to the starting spot in goal. Even with the then head coach Nicky Hayen leaving to join Burnley, new head coach Jess Thorup has stuck with him. Liverpool should, if they are clever, send Brughmans back to Genk like Chelsea did with Penders and Red Bull Leipzig did with Maarten Vandevoordt. Brughmans would still be the Genk number one, and in a years time Liverpool would get a more complete goalkeeper.

All eyes will now turn to which teenager will be next to emerge from the Genk goalkeeping factory.