Tottenham Hotspur have submitted a formal offer to sign Brighton & Hove Albion centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke, as per David Ornstein.
Brighton have earned widespread admiration for the recruitment philosophy developed under Tony Bloom. After spending their first four Premier League campaigns fighting to avoid relegation, finishing 15th, 17th, 15th and 16th, respectively, the club shifted towards a more targeted recruitment model that has played a major role in securing their long-term place in the top flight.
That strategy has enabled Brighton to identify highly promising talent at relatively low fees before selling them for substantial profits, creating the financial flexibility to continue strengthening the squad. Among the notable success stories are Moisés Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, Alexis Mac Allister, Ben White and João Pedro, all of whom were involved in lucrative transfers.
The next name potentially set to follow that well-worn path is van Hecke, who delivered another impressive campaign for the Seagulls as Fabian Hürzeler’s side secured UEFA Conference League football after finishing eighth in the recently concluded season.
Van Hecke is set to become a subject of keen interest this summer, but it appears Tottenham are looking to trump other rivals, as David Ornstein claims that the north London club have submitted a formal offer to sign the 25-year-old.
Van Hecke to Tottenham
However, Brighton rejected the offer, as it was deemed below the club’s valuation, according to the transfer expert.
Still, Tottenham remain keen on signing Van Hecke, with Ornstein adding that Spurs are in talks to reach an agreement to sign the 6ft 2in Dutchman, who is close to Roberto De Zerbi.
Although Tottenham appears to have several centre-back options available, with Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Kevin Danso and Radu Drăgușin all part of the squad, recurring fitness problems among those defenders have left the team short of cover throughout the season.
Uncertainty also surrounds the long-term futures of some of those players. Romero is reportedly attracting significant interest, while Drăgușin’s position remains unclear after being limited to just 582 minutes across all competitions last season.
Hence, Van Hecke, who will likely cost well above his £38m Transfermarkt valuation, would be a quality option as he offers composure on the ball, defensive combativeness and a strong familiarity with De Zerbi’s style of play, having played under the Italian boss during his stint at Brighton.
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