Brighton & Hove Albion are set to complete the signing of Ajax goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen, according to De Telegraaf’s Mike Verweij. The Seagulls are in need of a new goalkeeper after it emerged yesterday that they had agreed a fee with Real Sociedad for the transfer of Mat Ryan, bringing his four-year stay on the South Coast to an end.
Kjell Scherpen Set to Sign for Brighton
Talks Have Been Ongoing
The Athletic’s Andy Naylor reported back in May that Brighton were in talks with Ajax over a move for 22-year-old Scherpen. Those talks have continued since then and it appears now that an agreement has been reached.
Naylor initially reported that the move was expected to be for around £4 million, although Verweij’s more recent report says that Brighton were prepared to pay £5 million but that this was not enough for Ajax.
Verweij added that although the final fee is not currently known, an agreement has been reached regardless and that Scherpen will join the club.
First Choice?
Robert Sanchez took over as Brighton’s first-choice goalkeeper for the second half of the 2020/21 season, leading to Ryan’s departure on loan to Arsenal for the remainder of the campaign.
Ryan is now set to leave the club permanently and join up with Real Sociedad, leaving an open position in the club’s goalkeeping hierarchy.
It is likely that Sanchez will continue to hold the number one spot next season, with Scherpen becoming the second-choice ahead of Jason Steele, who is yet to make a league appearance since his arrival from Sunderland in 2018.
Brighton’s other goalkeeper, Christian Walton, is expected to leave the club this summer in search of first-team football, leaving Sanchez, Scherpen and Steele as the three options at Graham Potter’s disposal next season.
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