Tottenham target Jan Paul van Hecke has delayed penning a new contract at Brighton and Hove Albion
Tottenham Hotspur spent the majority of the summer transfer window hunting for a creative midfielder. It took until the final week of the window for them to land one in the form of Xavi Simons. In addition, they also brought in striker Randal Kolo Muani from Paris Saint-Germain on a season-long loan.
Spurs spent heavily in the transfer market to reinforce the forward department in a bid to offset the departure of club icon Son Heung-min and replace the injured James Maddison. Having fully focused on addressing the creativity issue and attacking depth, the north Londoners failed to significantly bolster their defensive unit.
A centre-back appeared to be at the top of clubs’ agenda at the start of the summer, owing to Cristian Romero’s heavy links with Atletico Madrid. As the transfer window progressed and Romero ended up penning a new contract, Tottenham’s decision to sign a new senior centre-back took a back step.
But, it looks like the Lilywhites could decide to spend on a central defender when the transfer window reopens in January.
Tottenham handed boost in their pursuit of Brighton defender
According to an exclusive report from GIVEMESPORT, Tottenham have been handed a big boost in their bid to sign Jan Paul van Hecke in January as he has delayed penning a new contract with Brighton and Hove Albion. This is because the defender wants to discover whether he will be subject of concrete offers from big clubs when the transfer window resumes in January.
The Dutchman has been at Brighton for five years after joining from NAC Breda in 2020, but in recent years has emerged from the shadows to become a regular first team fixture at the club. He has now become one of the consistent defenders in the Premier League, which has led to the Seagulls wanting to tie him down to a new contract.
In fact, the Sussex-based club reportedly want to make Jan Paul van Hecke the club’s highest-paid player ever, but the player is not interested as he wants to play in the Champions League and does not believe it would be possible to achieve staying at the Amex Stadium. The aforementioned report adds Spurs are not the only English club interested in the 25-year-old; Liverpool and Newcastle United are also admirers of the Brighton boy’s talents.
Van Hecke has entered the final two years of his contract (Transfermarkt) with the Seagulls, and there is a growing possibility of him leaving the club in 2026.
Van Hecke would provide quality competition to both Romero and Van de Ven
Van Hecke can now be considered as a proven Premier League commodity, entering perhaps the prime stages of his career. The Netherlands international wants to test himself at the highest level after his Brighton adventure, and a possible move to Tottenham could be an attractive option for him.
Currently, Romero and Van de Ven are the undisputed first-choice centre-back pairing under Thomas Frank. However, given their patchy injury record, Frank cannot rely on the duo and would require a quality player to challenge them. And Van Hecke, in that regard, would be an excellent option.
Brighton valued the 25-year-old in the region of €50 million in the past summer window. If he performs consistently, Van Hecke’s stock will only rise. The Seagulls would want to keep him this season, hoping to get a bigger price should he perform well at next summer’s World Cup. That said, the Lilywhites must act decisively when the transfer window reopens in January and go all out for the Dutchman’s signing.