Jan Paul van Hecke’s Tottenham future may have been unwittingly confirmed by his international teammate Micky van de Ven, who revealed the pair have been discussing a summer move at the World Cup. The admission comes as Brighton brace for a second bid from Spurs after rejecting an initial £70m offer for the Netherlands defender.
Van de Ven, speaking from the Dutch camp, confirmed that talks have taken place between the two players, with Spurs having already had two bids rejected for the 25-year-old centre-back. The north London club’s new manager, Roberto de Zerbi, is keen to be reunited with van Hecke after working with him at Brighton.
“Micky van de Ven confirms transfer talks with Jan Paul van Hecke as Brighton expect second Tottenham bid.”
Van Hecke, who is part of the Netherlands’ World Cup squad, has one year left on his contract and is valued by Brighton at £70m. The Seagulls signed him from NAC Breda in 2020 for a modest fee, and after loan spells at Heerenveen and Blackburn Rovers, he has made 131 appearances for the club, including 36 Premier League starts last season – the most of any outfield player in the squad.
Brighton’s chief executive, Paul Barber, has been placed in charge of outgoing transfers following the unexpected exit of sporting director Jason Ayto, confirmed on Wednesday. The club have a reputation for hard-line bargaining, having sold Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella and Joao Pedro for fees in excess of £50m in recent years.
Given van Hecke’s contract situation, it is likely that Barber and owner Tony Bloom have a contingency in mind should a deal eventually be agreed.