Tottenham have agreed a deal to sign Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton worth £52m; The defender worked with Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton, playing 50 games under the Italian; Van Hecke is set to join Marcos Senesi as Spurs look to revamp their defence.
The 19-year-old, who established himself as one of Europe’s best young defenders on loan at Hamburg, wants to be a regular starter now but is not interested in another temporary move
Brighton’s latest offer was for £35m and Sky Sports News understands that they will not go back in with a fresh proposal immediately despite agreeing a deal to sell central defender Jan Paul van Hecke to Spurs for £52m on Tuesday.
There is a real feeling at Spurs that Vuskovic could become one of the best defenders in the world but that he is not quite ready to make that step to being a regular starter in the Premier League.
There are parallels to the situation Arsenal had with William Saliba. The France international had three loans in Ligue 1 before being fully integrated into the first-team picture and becoming one of the Premier League’s best defenders.
Spurs have plans to spend big this summer and, naturally, that will lead to player sales. However, in an ideal world, they will raise funds elsewhere on players who are not part of De Zerbi’s future plans.
Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic says it is important that Vuskovic finds a club where he will play regularly. Spurs agree but can only offer a loan. Brighton can give the teenager what he wants but are unwilling to overpay. This situation could rumble on.
