Tottenham ‘ahead of’ Liverpool for £39m ‘bargain’ signing amid Van Hecke ‘collapse’ claim

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·13. Juni 2026

Tottenham ‘ahead of’ Liverpool for £39m ‘bargain’ signing amid Van Hecke ‘collapse’ claim

According to reports, Tottenham Hotspur are ‘ahead of’ Liverpool in the race to sign an alternative to Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke.

Tottenham are currently focused on improving their defence, having already signed Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi on free transfers from Liverpool and AFC Bournemouth.

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After landing these two players, the north London outfit have turned their attention to Brighton standout Van Hecke, who worked with head coach Roberto De Zerbi on the south coast.

Van Hecke is proven to be a very good Premier League centre-back, but he is in the final year of his current Brighton contract and they are trying to get their rivals to pay over the odds to secure his services.

Spurs have already failed with two bids for Van Hecke, and a report on Friday claimed they intend to return with an improved offer worth £55m.

This is surely towards the top end of what Spurs are willing to offer for Van Hecke, and another report this week claimed they will turn to Ordonez as an ‘alternate option’ if their move for the Brighton star ‘collapses’.

Now, a report from journalist Mark Brus for Caught Offside claims Tottenham are ‘ahead of’ Liverpool in the race to sign Joel Ordonez from Club Brugge for a ‘bargain’ fee worth around £39m.

The report claims:

‘My sources tell me that Liverpool, having previously cooled their interest, are seriously considering Ordonez again. There’s the feeling, though, that Tottenham are currently leading the race for his signature as they look for defensive signings. ‘Spurs have made Jan Paul van Hecke a priority, but with Brighton playing hardball over his transfer fee, they are ready to explore alternative targets.’

Jan Paul van Hecke comments on transfer speculation

Van Hecke is part of the Netherlands squad for the World Cup and will want to focus on the tournament, but he has not exactly closed the door on a transfer when asked about his future this week.

“Well, first of all, I just want to focus on the Dutch national team on Sunday,” Van Hecke said.

“That is a very important match for us, for me. So that’s my focus until now. Of course, things are also playing, and I know that myself too. But that’s not for now, that’s more after the World Cup. I will then see where I play.

“I have also said very clearly that I would like to have clarity for myself before the World Cup. And uh I have that too. But then for now for myself it’s just clear. I just want to play the World Cup as well as possible.”

He added: “That clarity will probably come after the World Cup when uh when I make that step, then it’s clear to everyone.”