The midfielder scored two goals and provided four assists in 36 league matches for the Belgian club. The talented youngster is under contract with Anderlecht until the summer of 2027.
His rapid development also earned him a senior international debut for Belgium in March, when he came off the bench in a friendly against the United States.
In June, Tottenham and Manchester United were among the clubs showing interest in De Cat. According to those reports, Anderlecht could consider offers in the region of €40million for the midfielder.
Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich were also said to be challenging for his signature, while Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City and Newcastle had all been linked with the teenager.
Now it appears the 17-year-old has made a decision over his future. According to Sky Sport Germany and journalist Florian Plettenberg, De Cat has verbally agreed to join TSG Hoffenheim.
Plettenberg also reports that the Bundesliga club have verbally agreed a deal with Kodai Sano, 22, who plays for Dutch side NEC Nijmegen. Sano scored three goals and provided seven assists in 34 league matches last season.
The midfielder is under contract with NEC Nijmegen until the summer of 2028.
According to Sky, Hoffenheim have agreed personal terms with both players on contracts running until the summer of 2031.
What remains is for the club to reach agreement with Anderlecht and Nijmegen over the respective transfer fees. Concrete negotiations are said to be ongoing, with Hoffenheim's plan being to sign at least one of the two players this summer.
Hoffenheim are understood to be searching for a replacement for Grischa Promel, with De Cat and Sano identified as the club's two leading targets in that position.
The double swoop would represent a significant statement of intent from Hoffenheim as they look to strengthen their midfield options ahead of the new campaign, fending off interest from some of Europe's biggest clubs in the process.