Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a £52million deal with Brighton & Hove Albion to sign defender Jan Paul van Hecke.Spurs defender Luka Vuskovic, for whom Brighton have had a £35m offer rejected, is not part of any move for the Netherlands international, which will include no add-ons or bonuses.Personal terms are not expected to be an issue for the centre-back, who is close to Tottenham head coach Roberto De Zerbi having worked together at the south-coast club between 2022 and 2024.Spurs had previously submitted an offer for Van Hecke which fell short of Brighton’s valuation, but an agreement between the clubs is now agreed.Van Hecke’s contract expires in June 2027, and Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler said in April he expected to talk with the defender about his future.The Athletic reported earlier this month that he had shown no interest in extending his terms, and along with goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen and midfielder Carlos Baleba, was among the main candidates to be sold this summer.The centre-back first joined Brighton in 2020 from Dutch side NAC Breda and has had loan spells at Heerenveen and Blackburn Rovers before beginning to establish himself in the Brighton first team in the 2022-23 season.Van Hecke started 36 of Brighton’s 38 Premier League matches in the 2025-26 season as they qualified for the Conference League by finishing eighth. He is also in the Netherlands’ squad for the World Cup.He has made 131 appearances for Brighton, with 106 of those coming in the Premier League.A move would continue a busy start to the transfer window for Spurs, who have already signed centre-back Marcos Senesi and left-back Andy Robertson, following the expiration of their contracts at Bournemouth and Liverpool respectively.A progressive defender and possible Romero replacement Analysis by Seb Stafford-BloorVan Hecke is one of the better all-round defenders in the Premier League.A tough, combative, right-footer who can also carry and pass the ball out of his own defensive area as well as anyone; Tottenham’s interest would indicate that they are searching for Romero’s replacement.Given the season that Spurs have just endured, Van Hecke might be the prospect available to them in that position. During our recent Transfer Tiers series, during which The Athletic asked industry experts to rank players based on their likely destination — Champions League contender, Champions League qualifier and the rest — Van Hecke was right in the middle of Tier Two.Van Hecke was a mainstay in Hurzeler’s defence last season. (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)Quite rightly so; he has earned his reputation. He will be going to the World Cup with the Netherlands and based on the team Ronald Koeman fielded against Algeria on Wednesday night, has a very good chance of starting between Virgil van Dijk and Micky van de Ven (who often plays as a full-back for his country).Given Van Hecke’s contract situation (due to expire in 2027), this summer was always going to bring significant interest — and from clubs currently operating above Tottenham’s station.But here perhaps lies the value of De Zerbi, with whom Van Hecke worked highly successfully at Brighton and whose tactical imperatives so obviously suit the Dutch centre-half and his progressive style of play.Jun 16, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms