Tottenham have agreed a £52million deal with Brighton for defender Jan Paul van Hecke.
Spurs had previously had two offers rejected for the Netherlands international but the 26-year-old was set on teaming up with Roberto de Zerbi, who he played under on the south coast.
Any talks for Spurs defender Luka Vuskovic, who was subject of two offers up to £35million from Brighton, are separate to negotiations for Van Hecke.
Vuskovic is keen to play regularly after being on loan at Hamburg. He also has interest from Barcelona.
Spurs have also targeted Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali as they look to deliver a squad that can compete for Champions League places once again.
De Zerbi is hoping to make van Hecke his third defensive signing of the summer after confirming deals for Andy Robertson from Liverpool and Marcos Senesi from Bournemouth on free transfers.
Tottenham have agreed a £52million deal with Brighton for defender Jan Paul van Hecke
Van Hecke is currently at the World Cup and played in the Netherlands’ 2-2 draw with Japan
It comes amid a summer rebuild at Spurs following a dreadful campaign where they only avoided relegation on the final day of the season.
Van Hecke played in Netherlands’ 2-2 draw against Japan on Sunday at the World Cup and he will add to Tottenham’s defensive stocks, with the club expected to sell captain Cristian Romero.
The defender, who joined the Seagulls from NAC Breda in 2020, only has a year left on his contract at the Amex Stadium.
Brighton had been holding firm, with CEO Paul Barber revealing earlier this month that they had rebuffed multiple approaches.
Barber told eSPORTY: ‘There’s always going to be a lot of interest in our best players, and certainly in the case of Jan Paul.
‘We’ve been very clear that that interest has been ongoing for a while, it’s coming from multiple sources.
‘Yes, we have rejected a bid from Tottenham over the last week or so, in fact, two bids. From that point of view, it has to be right for us as well as the player.
‘We have to be in a position to make the best trades to suit our model and also to make sure that we’re supporting Fabian [Hurzeler], because he’s got another big season ahead of him.’
Van Hecke played under Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi during his time in charge of Brighton
Barber continued: ‘He’s had two seasons in the Premier League, he’s finished eighth on both occasions, this time we’ve been fortunate enough to qualify for a European competition.
‘We want to go as deep in that competition as we can, while also doing well in the Premier League.
‘To do that, we need to make sure Fabian’s got the best possible squad and we’ve got the right balance between the young players that typically we like to bring in and develop, and the more experienced players like Pascal Gross and others, who can actually help us progress in all of the competitions that we’re in.
‘As always, it’s a balancing act, and hopefully this summer we can work hard to pull it off again.’
Van Hecke, who has won 13 caps for the Netherlands and partnered Virgil van Dijk at centre back against Japan, has played 131 times for Brighton and also enjoyed loan spells at SC Heerenveen and Blackburn Rovers during his early years at the club.
