Brighton & Hove Albion have made an improved offer for Tottenham Hotspur and Croatia defender Luka Vuskovic.
Sources briefed on the deal have indicated that this latest offer from Brighton will still fall short of Spurs’ valuation of the 19-year-old.
The south-coast side previously made a £30million ($39.7m) bid for Vuskovic, who is open to the move, believing Brighton have shown themselves to be a good developing ground for talent.
Vuskovic is also the subject of strong interest from leading clubs elsewhere in Europe after a strong season in the Bundesliga.
Brighton’s interest in Vuskovic — who is regarded as one of the best emerging defenders in world football — comes with Spurs having completed the signing of fellow centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke from the Amex Stadium club.
The Athletic reported earlier this month that despite catching attention from clubs around Europe, Vuskovic wanted to wait until after the World Cup to decide his next steps.
Vuskovic is part of Croatia’s squad in the United States, Canada and Mexico. He has been capped six times for the senior team, starting in their opening group-stage defeat by England.
Vuskovic’s contract at Tottenham does not expire until 2030. He agreed to move from Hajduk Split for £12m ($16m) in September 2023 and officially joined Spurs when he turned 18.
He has yet to make a first-team appearance for Tottenham, but played 30 times on loan at Hamburg during the 2025-26 campaign. He recorded six goals and provided one assist in 28 Bundesliga appearances.
If Vuskovic leaves, Spurs can only blame themselves
Analysis by Tottenham correspondent Jay Harris
Spurs will be without European football next season and if Vuskovic is not going to be the first-choice right-sided centre-back, there is certainly an argument it would be more beneficial to temporarily send him away. Vuskovic has spent the last three seasons on loan, though, and might feel the time is right to settle.
The parallels with Arsenal’s William Saliba are obvious. Saliba went on loan to Saint-Etienne, Nice and Marseille before breaking into Arsenal’s starting XI under Mikel Arteta. The difference here is that Spurs’ financial situation might force them to let Vuskovic go — Spurs hold some of the highest transfer debt in football.
It is understandable if Vuskovic has reservations about staying with Spurs. They have had four different head coaches since he initially agreed to join them. Brighton finished eighth and will be competing in the Europa Conference League next season while Spurs narrowly avoided relegation. Mathys Tel, Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall’s stop-start development could be another concern.
If Vuskovic decides it is better for his career to leave Spurs, then they only have themselves to blame.