Club Brugge boss Ivan Leko has fuelled rumours linking Joaquin Seys with Manchester United and Arsenal, claiming the ‘extraordinary’ defender has the talent to ‘reach the absolute top of the Premier League’.
Seys broke out of Brugge’s academy ranks to make his first-team debut back in 2024 and has gone on to establish himself as one of the brightest young talents in Belgian football.
The 21-year-old left-back made 55 appearances in all competitions last season and played an integral role to help his boyhood side claim the Belgian Pro League title for a seventh time in the last decade.
It saw Seys called up to Belgium’s squad for this summer’s World Cup, though the youngster struggled for playing time up against Rudi Garcia’s first-choice left-back Maxim De Cuyper.
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However, Seys came on as a second-half replacement for De Cuyper in the quarter-finals against the eventual champions Spain and was widely praised for his cameo performance against Lamine Yamal.
Reports this week claimed Premier League giants United and Arsenal were closely tracking Seys’ progress and had made enquiries over the full-back’s availability ahead of the summer transfer deadline.
Brugge have accepted that they are unlikely to keep hold of Seys for too long and have responded by slapping a €35million (£30m) price tag on the Belgium international.
‘I see him reaching the absolute top of the Premier League. In my opinion, he has no ceiling,’ Brugge manager Leko said of Seys in an interview with Flemish newspaper De Morgen published on Tuesday.
‘He has the talent, the character, and above all, the right mentality.’
Leko revealed how those Brugge players who had not been selected for the World Cup gathered to watch Seys’ impressive cameo versus Spain.
He added: ‘He may have only played thirty minutes at the World Cup, in the quarter-final against Spain, but what a half-hour it was!
‘We watched that match with the entire squad in Rotterdam, the day after our friendly against Feyenoord.
‘The atmosphere was fantastic, because Joa more than held his own against Lamine Yamal, one of the best players in the world. He is extraordinary.’
According to Leko, Seys is always among the first to arrive and the last to head home from the training ground.
‘That’s just how he is: he arrives first and leaves last,’ the former Croatia midfielder explained.
‘There are so many guys like that walking around in our dressing room, players with an indestructible mentality.
‘They made the difference last season: Tzolis, Stankovic, Tresoldi, Romeo Vermant… And do you know who else? Kyriani Sabbe. Just keep an eye on him this season.’
Aston Villa, Newcastle, Benfica and Porto have also been credited with an interest in Seys in recent weeks.
Manchester United have turned to Seys as a possible plan B, with Newcastle reportedly ruling out a move for the Red Devils’ primary left-back target, Lewis Hall, this summer.
Seys has three years remaining on his current contract at Brugge’s Jan Breydel Stadium.
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