Spurs swoop for Seagulls pass master as £40m bid ‘readied’ for 2026
Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly preparing a potential £40 million offer for a Brighton & Hove Albion defender, as head coach Thomas Frank continues his efforts to reinforce a backline that has shown both promise and vulnerability in recent months.
Despite completing the permanent signing of Kevin Danso from Lens earlier this summer—following a successful loan spell—the Europa League champions still find themselves short of reliable depth at centre-back. Their first-choice pairing of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero remains one of the most stable partnerships in the Premier League when both are available, and the duo demonstrated their value once again during Saturday’s 2–0 victory over Brentford, which marked Spurs’ first clean sheet in five matches.
However, injuries and contract situations elsewhere in the squad have left Frank with limited alternatives. Radu Dragusin is still recovering from a serious ACL injury, Kota Takai has yet to make his senior debut for the club, and long-serving defender Ben Davies is approaching the final year of his contract, set to expire in 2026. Given these circumstances, Tottenham are eager to add another dependable central defender to the roster before defensive shortages become a major issue later in the season.
According to a report from TEAMtalk, Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke has emerged as a primary target. Tottenham officials are said to be long-standing admirers of the Dutch centre-back and could be prepared to table a substantial bid as early as 2026. A move sooner than that has not been ruled out, especially if Brighton struggle to agree a new contract with a player who has become essential to their defensive structure.
Van Hecke, now 25, has steadily grown in stature since joining Brighton from NAC Breda in 2020 for a modest €2 million (£1.8m). After early loan spells with Heerenveen and Blackburn Rovers, he forced his way into the Seagulls’ first team and has since become one of their most reliable performers. Across 108 appearances for the club, he has contributed four goals and four assists, including an eye-catching three goals already in the current Premier League season under new head coach Fabian Hürzeler.
The Dutch defender has not been without occasional errors—his misjudgement allowed Jarrod Bowen to score for West Ham United in Sunday’s 1–1 draw—but he quickly made amends by providing the assist for Georginio Rutter’s dramatic stoppage-time equaliser at the Amex Stadium. Moments like these highlight both his resilience and his increasing influence on Brighton’s play.
Crucially, Van Hecke will soon enter the final 18 months of his current contract, a situation that places Brighton in a difficult negotiating position. If the Seagulls fail to secure an extension, they risk losing him for a reduced fee next year. Tottenham could therefore attempt to accelerate their plans and move for the defender in the January transfer window, though Brighton remain determined to keep him at least through the current campaign.
From a tactical standpoint, Van Hecke appears an ideal fit for Frank’s system. Comfortable operating on either side of the central defensive pairing, he could seamlessly rotate with Romero or Van de Ven, and his familiarity with the latter from their shared involvement with the Netherlands setup only strengthens his suitability.
Statistically, Van Hecke stands out as one of Europe’s premier ball-progressing centre-backs. Over the past 12 months, he has averaged 6.70 progressive passes per match, placing him in the top 3% of centre-backs across the big five European leagues. His 1.95 progressive carries per game rank even higher, in the top 2%. He also makes 7.14 passes into the final third per match—numbers that align directly with Tottenham’s need for defenders who can initiate attacks from the back and help resolve the build-up challenges that have plagued them in recent seasons.
With Spurs eager to sustain momentum under Frank and compete on multiple fronts, the pursuit of Van Hecke could become one of their key storylines heading into 2025. Whether Brighton can persuade their standout defender to commit his future to the club may ultimately determine how soon Tottenham attempt to strike.