Nathan De Cat: Anderlecht's towering teen midfielder set for a big-money transfer as Bayern Munich & more circle

Born in the Brussels suburb of Vilvoorde in the summer of 2008, joining the Belgian capital's biggest club was the natural next step as De Cat caught Anderlecht's eye as a 10-year-old following a spell with KV Mechelen, becoming part of the club's famed academy system.

De Cat would progress swiftly through the ranks of the Paars-wit, having clearly been earmarked for success early on. He remarkably earned a promotion to the Under-18 setup before his 15th birthday, and it wasn't long before he made further progress by becoming part of RSCA Futures - Anderlecht's senior youth team that serves as their reserves - in January 2024, with whom he made his professional bow.

The defensive midfielder signed a new contract in August 2024 and was officially promoted to the first team having travelled on their pre-season tour, albeit most of his minutes continued to come with RCSA Futures. A strong 2024-25 campaign at that level, where De Cat often captained the side at the age of 16, paved the way for a first-team breakthrough at the end of that season, and he has not looked back since.

Although he got his first taste of senior action in an eight-minute cameo against Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce in a Europa League play-off round second leg in February 2025, aged just 16 years, seven months and one day, De Cat would have to wait patiently for regular first-team opportunities.

Those eventually arrived in April last year, as the teenager was trusted to prove his worth during the Belgian Pro League's championship play-offs, which determine the overall winner. With Anderlecht rank outsiders, the midfielder was afforded regular minutes as a substitute throughout the round-robin tournament and even popped up with his first-ever senior goal against Royal Antwerp in May, collecting the ball inside the penalty area and sweeping an unerring low finish into the back of the net.

It was a run of games that proved to be a springboard for De Cat, who - after shining for Belgium's U17s at last summer's European Championship - has been a starter right from the off in 2025-26 as he makes good on his early promise.

De Cat has seized his opportunity as a first-team player; he marked his full senior debut with an assist in a dynamic, dominant individual display against Westerlo on the opening day of the season where he seemed to be absolutely everywhere, registering nine ball recoveries and even getting his own individual highlights reel from broadcaster DAZN. Still just 17, he has made himself a pretty much guaranteed starter in the weeks and months since.

A first goal of the campaign arrived in October in the form of an outrageous long-range strike against Sint-Truidense, as De Cat found the top corner from 25 yards out after craftily evading two defenders. In November, the teenager earned the Pro League's Player of the Month award having shone as Anderlecht built some serious momentum with four consecutive victories, including an influential showing against rivals Club Brugge as he played a key role in the winning goal.

De Cat was named Belgium's Young Player of the Year amid an otherwise testing winter for his club that resulted in head coach Besnik Hasi losing his job in February after a five-game winless run. He has been vital to their recovery since, providing four goal contributions in as many games from a more advanced role while delivering a match-winning performance in the Belgian Cup semi-final second leg as he tormented Antwerp again, netting a pinpoint volley.

Although De Cat already stands at 6'3 tall with plenty of years still to grow, his height isn't necessarily his biggest attribute. Granted, his rangy frame enables him to glide across the turf and evade defenders with relative ease, but he combines that with game intelligence, composure and bite in the challenge. His elite mentality will serve him well, too. "My only concern is getting better every day, always raising the bar," he told Nieuwsblad in January.

New head coach Jeremy Taravel's decision to push him further up the pitch looks to be a masterstroke, maximising De Cat's vision, passing and strong ball-carrying in a more advanced role, as well as making him a goal threat. Speaking to DAZN about his improved output, the youngster said: "I don't think there's such a thing as coincidence. The difference is that he [Taravel] gives me more freedom. He knows who can handle it and who can't. I do think he's been important."

The fact the teenager is demonstrating that he can operate pretty much anywhere in the middle of the park might just add another zero to his price tag. Despite his tender years, he is already looking like something close to the complete midfielder, and you will find few as technically gifted as the Belgian at his age.

It's becoming increasingly clear that there aren't many downsides to De Cat's game, but given his age he is understandably remains a little raw in some departments. He is still working out how to utilise his towering physique, resulting in him sometimes being overpowered by more experienced opponents. He is also not as much of an aerial threat as he should be, albeit that isn't necessarily his job.

The midfielder's offensive stats have clearly improved of late, but he will also be working hard on his shooting and finishing in training to take that aspect of his attacking play to the next level. Discipline, too, is arguably an issue; De Cat has already served a suspension for accumulating too many yellow cards this season.

When you see De Cat in full flow, eating up ground as he strides across the pitch with a bouncing mop of hair, one player in particular comes to mind. Like the young Belgian, Declan Rice started out as a defensive midfielder at West Ham before developing into something much more and continuing that evolution at Arsenal, where he is now a marauding No.8 under Mikel Arteta.

De Cat's transition to a more adventurous role might have happened much earlier on in his career, but there are still plenty of similarities between the way the two midfielders operate. Rice is only an inch or so shorter than his counterpart and has become an adept ball-carrier by using his lengthy stride to cover plenty of grass, while also boasting the ability to spray passes around and snap into a challenge if the situation calls for it. Like De Cat, the England international has developed into more of a goal threat and a creative force, not least through his set-pieces.

It just so happens that Rice is a player that De Cat idolises. "My role models are Declan Rice of Arsenal and Rodri of Man City," he told Nieuwsblad recently. "To reach that level, I have to work hard."

Rice is certainly the benchmark for what the teenager can become, though it could be argued that he is already superior from a technical perspective. His suitors will certainly see that potential.

The timing of De Cat's meteoric rise will be bittersweet for Anderlecht. While they will be glad to have him as they look to secure European qualification for next season, the contract he signed in 2024 only has one year left to run and the player is reportedly showing little appetite for an extension as the Paars-wit have failed to match his financial expectations to this point, with his parents taking care of negotiations.

Inevitably, the midfielder has generated plenty of transfer talk amid his emergence in Brussels. Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen have all been credited with an interest in the 17-year-old, as well as Tottenham, Aston Villa and Everton in the Premier League. Given the risk of losing him for free in a 12 months' time, it's said Anderlecht would accept as little as €30 million (£26m/$35m) to part with the latest gem from their academy this summer, albeit that would still represent a club-record sale.

Speaking to DAZN earlier in March, De Cat's words only served to fuel that simmering speculation. "Things can move quickly in football," he said when asked about a potential summer move. "I'm not going to comment on that. You know I'll never give an answer to that. And honestly, I don't know myself yet."

In the short-term, De Cat is targeting an unlikely charge into Belgium's World Cup squad, despite the fact he is yet to even earn a senior call-up. On his current trajectory, you wouldn't rule it out.

"It remains to be seen how the rest of the season unfolds, but I know there are plenty of guys with bigger careers ahead of me," he said. "If the national coach calls, I won't say no, but it doesn't necessarily have to be this World Cup. I would definitely be content if I wasn't there, but it would be nice."