Tottenham agree £52million deal for Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a £52million deal with Brighton and Hove Albion to sign defender Jan Paul van Hecke, after an initial offer fell short of the valuation.

The package contains no add-ons or bonuses, and personal terms are not expected to pose a problem. According to The Athletic, Van Hecke has shown no interest in extending a contract that runs to June 2027 and, alongside Bart Verbruggen and Carlos Baleba, was viewed as a leading sale candidate this summer. In April, Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler expected to discuss the defender’s future.

Spurs defender Luka Vuskovic is not included in the agreement. Brighton had a £35m bid for him rejected. Van Hecke has a strong relationship with Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi from their time together at Brighton between 2022 and 2024.

The Dutch centre-back joined Brighton in 2020 from NAC Breda, then had loans at Heerenveen and Blackburn Rovers before breaking into the first team in the 2022-23 season.

He started 36 of Brighton’s 38 Premier League games in 2025-26 as they finished eighth to reach the Conference League. He is also in the Netherlands squad for the World Cup.

Van Hecke has made 131 appearances for Brighton, including 106 in the Premier League. Tottenham have already added centre-back Marcos Senesi and left-back Andy Robertson following the expiry of their deals at Bournemouth and Liverpool.

Source: NY Times