Roberto De Zerbi has got his man after Fabrizio Romano and David Ornstein both confirmed a stellar Tottenham transfer coup.
Tottenham have already bolstered their defensive ranks this summer with the twin signings of Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson.
The veteran pair will add experience to the Spurs dressing room, though it’s arguable as to whether they’ll be regular starters.
And with Cristian Romero expected to depart this summer, the true prize at the back laid down at Brighton.
Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi was desperate to forge a reunion with Jan Paul van Hecke, who he managed at Brighton.
The 26-year-old Dutch international is a known commodity to the Italian manager and would mesh well with his system that places huge emphasis on playing out from the back and defenders being comfortable on the ball.
Two bids were tabled for Van Hecke, the first worth £40m and the second £50m. Both were rejected by Brighton, but a third offer was always planned.
And according to both Fabrizio Romano and David Ornstein, Tottenham’s anticipated third bid has not only been launched, but has been accepted.
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Tottenham agree £52m Jan Paul van Hecke signing
Ornstein was first to break the news, declaring: “Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a £52million deal with Brighton & Hove Albion to sign defender Jan Paul van Hecke.”
He then claimed personal terms won’t be an issue, and they certainly won’t given trusted reporter, Matteo Morreto, claimed Van Hecke and Spurs have already agreed his contract anyway.
What’s more, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano subsequently gave the £52m switch his signature ‘here we go’ confirmation.
Reporting on X, he wrote: “Tottenham agree deal to sign Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton, here we go!
“New defender wanted by De Zerbi joining on £52m deal, agreement club to club done after player accepted #THFC conditions last week.
“All done and Vuskovic separate case, as @David_Ornstein reports.”
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Tottenham want Sandro Tonali and new winger next
Elsewhere, Tottenham are also making progress in their attempts to pull off a major coup by signing Sandro Tonali from Newcastle.
The De Zerbi connection is proving key, with both he and Tonali hailing from the same Italian city of Brescia.
Tonali has signalled he’ll say yes to joining Spurs, though the small matter of agreeing a blockbuster fee with Newcastle must be overcome. The Magpies are demanding £100m and there’ll be no discounts.
Tottenham are also aiming to sign Savinho from Manchester City for £60m. If that deal crumbles, Ben Jacobs claimed they could hijack Manchester United’s move for Crysencio Summerville, with a ‘call’ recently made to West Ham…