Tottenham Hotspur are tracking €50m Premier League defender with a 'great attitude'

Originally posted on To The Lane And Back
By Pranav Kannan | Last updated Jul 31, 2025 2:12 PM ET

Tottenham Hotspur have had a very decent summer transfer window so far. The North London club have managed to keep hold of the important pieces of the squad, brought in a new manager in Thomas Frank and have also snapped up a sensational talent like Mohammed Kudus from West Ham United.

Spurs already have a very talented squad that is quite young. Ange Postecoglou has made some smart signings and laid the foundation for success and Thomas Frank needs to build on the same and hopefully prove that the Europa League victory last season wasn’t necessarily an aberration.

With not long to go before the new season gets underway, Spurs need to move fast if they want to secure potential new signings. Now, as per VI.nl, Tottenham Hotspur are tracking Brighton & Hove Albion defender Jan Paul van Hecke with Newcastle United also interested in the youngster.

Highest performing centre-backs in the Premier League this season ℹ️

98 — Virgil van Dijk
87 — William Saliba
84 — Levi Colwill
82 — Ibrahima Konaté
81 — Jan Paul van Hecke

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Van Hecke has been impressive to Brighton

Van Hecke has made a name for himself with his performances for the Seagulls in the last couple of seasons. He has been contracted to the English club for almost five seasons now. Such has been his display for Brighton that it earned him Ronald Koeman’s trust and has seen him called up to the Netherlands squad on a number of occasions now.

The report mentions that Van Hecke is willing to leave Brighton now to play for a club in the Champions League. The Seagulls are trying to get him to commit to a new contract but the 25-year-old feels this would be the right time to make the next big jump in his promising career so far.

Van Hecke won’t force an exit from Brighton out of respect, but he has a contract until 2027 and doesn’t intend to extend his current deal. Thus, it has been mentioned that the Seagulls’ asking price for the Dutch international at around €50m, which is definitely a decent price tag for a player of his ability.

Serious player with big personality and great attitude

Former Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi had massive praise for Van Hecke, calling him a “serious player” with “big personality” and a “great attitude”. It was under the Italian tactician that the 25-year-old truly emerged as a Premier League level player and he has not looked back since.

It remains to be seen if one of Newcastle United or Tottenham Hotspur push ahead to sign Jan Paul van Hecke this summer. If one of the clubs manage to snap him up, he would be an excellent addition to the defence and let’s wait and see how things play out.

This article first appeared on To The Lane And Back and was syndicated with permission.

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