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Tottenham’s attempts to make big changes to last season’s underperforming squad have begun in earnest, with the North London side reportedly targeting Brighton central defender Jan Paul van Hecke. According to the Telegraph, the Premier League side have already had an opening offer rejected by the Seagulls for their 25-year-old central defender. Brighton are apparently holding out for no less than €81 million for Van Hecke, despite the player’s contract expiring at the end of next season.
Rumour J. van Hecke Centre-Back
Brighton 53 % Tottenham Premier League Premier League
Should Tottenham be forced to match Brighton’s asking price for the player, it would make Van Hecke the most expensive signing in Tottenham’s history, far surpassing the €65m the club spent on Xavi Simons last season and considerably more than their most expensive defensive signing, which is currently Cristian Romero’s €53.8m move to the club in 2022. In fact, a €81m fee would make Van Hecke the fifth most expensive central defender ever, surpassing Wesley Fofana’s €80.4m move to Chelsea in 2022. So why are Tottenham so intent on signing the Dutch international?
The most obvious reason behind Tottenham’s aggressive move for Van Hecke is due to the likelihood of Romero departing the club this summer. The Argentine talent may currently be the Spurs captain, but the last 12 months have shown the 28-year-old defender to be somewhat unreliable on the pitch, concerning constant suspensions and injuries, as well as off-the-field issues that frustrated fans. And constant links to Atlético Madrid suggest that Tottenham are now looking to move on their senior defender and need a ready-made replacement to slot in alongside Micky van de Ven and Luka Vuskovic.
This comes on the back of Tottenham’s wider problems in defence. Last season, the North London club conceded 57 goals in 38 games, which was the fourth-worst defensive record in the entire league. As such, Van Hecke is likely to join a host of new faces in defence next season, with Tottenham also widely expected to complete the signing of former Liverpool left-back Andy Robertson and Bournemouth central defender Marcos Senesi.
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