Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a £52m deal with Brighton for Dutch defender Jan Paul van Hecke.
The 26-year-old started in his country’s 2-2 draw with Japan at the World Cup on Sunday.
Van Hecke has a year left on his current Brighton contract and showed no inclination to extend the deal.
Brighton had already turned down one offer for a player who joined them from NAC Breda in 2020.
However, they have now accepted Tottenham’s offer, which should clear the way for Van Hecke to rejoin former Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi in north London.
The deal also includes a significant sell-on clause, with Brighton profiting further should Spurs sell the player.
Van Hecke made 131 appearances for the Seagulls and started 36 out of 38 Premier League games for Fabian Hurzeler’s side last season as they secured an eighth-place finish. That secured European qualification for only the second time in the club’s history.
Tottenham have already strengthened De Zerbi’s squad in an effort to improve markedly on successive 17th-placed finishes.
Scotland defender Andy Robertson has already signed from Liverpool, with Argentinian centre-half Marcos Senesi agreeing a move from Bournemouth.
What happens with all Spurs’ centre-backs?
By Alex Bysouth, BBC Sport Senior Journalist
The arrivals of Van Hecke and Senesi will leave De Zerbi with a wealth of central defensive options.
But with no European football next term, how many of Tottenham’s centre-halves will still be in north London at the start of the 2026-27 campaign?
Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Kevin Danso and Radu Dragusin are already at the club, as well as 19-year-old defender Luka Vuskovic, who spent last season on loan at Hamburg but is reportedly wanted by Brighton as well as a host of top European sides.
Spurs fans are yet to see him in competitive action for the club, although could get a first-hand glimpse of the sought-after youngster’s potential when England face Croatia on Wednesday.
Romero, meanwhile, who, like Senesi, is representing Argentina at the World Cup this summer, has spent five seasons at Spurs and captained the club to a first trophy in 17 years when they beat Manchester United to win the Europa League in 2025.
But he has long been touted with a move away, and the 28-year-old’s availability – either through suspension or injury, he only played 23 Premier League games last season and 18 the campaign before – is a source of frustration among supporters.
Dragusin has also been linked with an exit – the Romanian reportedly turned down Bayern Munich to join Spurs in January 2024, but an ACL injury has disrupted his time at the club, and the new additions will push the 24-year-old further down the pecking order.
Should Romero and Dragusin depart, that would leave De Zerbi with Senesi, Van Hecke, Van de Ven and Danso, as well as with a decision to make over whether Vuskovic remains, goes on loan or is sold permanently.
It’s worth noting Van de Ven started at left-back in the same Netherlands back four as Van Hecke on Sunday against Japan, but Spurs are also not short on bodies in that position, with Robertson soon to arrive.
Or, with all these new arrivals, might De Zerbi opt for a back five?
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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.