Tottenham have seen bids rejected for the Brighton defender who worked under Roberto De Zerbi at the Amex Stadium.
13:36, 07 Jun 2026Updated 13:47, 07 Jun 2026
Tottenha have targeted Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke in the transfer window.(Image: Adam Davy/PA Wire.)
Brighton and Hove Albion chief executive Paul Barber has revealed that the club have turned down two bids from Tottenham for Jan Paul van Hecke over the last few days, and has set out the club’s stance.
Roberto De Zerbi is looking to strengthen his Spurs squad this summer, and has already completed the free transfer signing of full-back Andy Robertson. He has also turned to one of his former players, van Hecke.
The defender was a key player for De Zerbi during the manager’s time at Brighton. It’s now been confirmed that they have seen two bids rejected for the Dutchman over the last week.
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Speaking on talkSPORT on Sunday morning, Barber confirmed Brighton’s stance on a potential sale.
“There was always going to be a lot of interest in our best players and certainly in the case of Jan Paul. Again, we’ve been very clear that the interest has been going on for a while, it’s coming from multiple sources,” he said.
“Yes, we have rejected a bid from Tottenham over the last week or so – in fact two bids. From that point of view, as I’ve said before, 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 to also make sure we’re supporting Fabian [Hurzler], because he’s got another big season ahead of him.
Jan Paul van Hecke is a key player for Brighton.(Image: Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images)
“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 European competition and 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 that Fabian has 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 help us to progress in all of the competitions that we’re in.
“As always, it’s a balancing act and hopefully this summer we’ll be working hard to pull it off again.”
It’s reported that Spurs’ first offer fell below Brighton’s £70million valuation for the player. However, the two clubs remain in dialogue with Tottenham hoping to strike an agreement.
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