Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a £52m deal with Brighton for Dutch defender Jan Paul van Hecke.
The report indicates that tottenham Hotspur have agreed a £52m deal with Brighton for Dutch defender Jan Paul van Hecke.
It further notes that the 26-year-old started in his country’s 2-2 draw with Japan at the World Cup on Sunday.
Van Hecke has a year left on his current Brighton contract and showed no inclination to extend the deal.
Brighton had already turned down one offer for a player who joined them from NAC Breda in 2020.
However, they have now accepted Tottenham’s offer, which should clear the way for Van Hecke to rejoin former Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi in north London.
The deal also includes a significant sell-on clause, with Brighton profiting further should Spurs sell the player.
Van Hecke made 131 appearances for the Seagulls and started 36 out of 38 Premier League games for Fabian Hurzeler’s side last season as they secured an eighth-place finish. That secured European qualification for only the second time in the club’s history.
Tottenham have already strengthened De Zerbi’s squad in an effort to improve markedly on successive 17th-placed finishes.
Scotland defender Andy Robertson has already signed from Liverpool, with Argentinian centre-half Marcos Senesi agreeing a move from Bournemouth.
The arrivals of Van Hecke and Senesi will leave De Zerbi with a wealth of central defensive options.
But with no European football next term, how many of Tottenham’s centre-halves will still be in north London at the start of the 2026-27 campaign?
Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Kevin Danso and Radu Dragusin are already at the club, as well as 19-year-old defender Luka Vuskovic, who spent last season on loan at Hamburg but is reportedly wanted by Brighton as well as a host of top European sides.
Spurs fans are yet to see him in competitive action for the club, although could get a first-hand glimpse of the sought-after youngster’s potential when England face Croatia on Wednesday.
Romero, meanwhile, who, like Senesi, is representing Argentina at the World Cup this summer, has spent five seasons at Spurs and captained the club to a first trophy in 17 years when they beat Manchester United to win the Europa League in 2025.
