Izquierdo set to sign for £16m as Brighton look to smash transfer record again

Brighton and Hove Albion’s transfer record looks about as safe as plates on a crockery stall as it is smashed for a third time this summer with the acquisition of Jose Izquierdo from Club Brugge for £16m.

The deal was signed in a Bruges restaurant last night and the move will be completed once Izquierdo has undertaken a medical, received international clearance and been granted a work permit.

Having been to Bruges, we hope the restaurant in question was Le Garre which serves 147 different types of beer, none under 6%, as well as offering a complimentary bowl of Gouda with each round.

The 25-year-old helped Club Brugge win the Belgian Cup in his first season in 2014/15 and added the title in 2015/16 alongside new Albion goalkeeper Mat Ryan. Izquierdo was named Belgium’s Player of the Season at the end of that championship winning campaign.

Described as a left winger, he has hit 38 goals in 117 games with Club Brugge and a further 28 in 128 games with Deportivo Pereira and Once Caldas.

He made his debut for the Colombian national team in June playing in games against Spain and Cameroon and scoring in the latter.

Unfortunately for the purposes of Photoshopping and drawing out this article, we have been unable to find any link between Izquierdo’s birthplace and the teams he previously played for and Pablo Escobar.