Tottenham Hotspur are continuing to push for Jan Paul van Hecke despite seeing two bids rejected by Brighton, with the Dutch defender now understood to have made his transfer preference clear.
Tottenham Hotspur’s pursuit of Jan Paul van Hecke has continued over the last week despite having seen their initial bid rejected.
It has since come to light that Spurs’ first offer was well short of the £70m (€82m) Brighton value their star centre-back at.
In fact, not only did Tottenham send one offer, but the Seagulls’ CEO has since confirmed that Spurs also submitted a second bid for Van Hecke, which was ultimately rejected.
Tottenham hope to secure Jan Paul van Hecke transfer
Spurs Web has since reported that the hope is for the deal to be completed before the World Cup, although that remains to be seen.
A fresh report from vi.nl has now claimed that Van Hecke remains keen on securing a move to Tottenham Hotspur.
It is understood that personal terms have already been agreed between the player and Spurs, with negotiations between Tottenham and Brighton the only thing standing in the way of a deal.
Spurs are said to have offered around 50 millon euros (£43.2m) for the Netherlands star who is entering the final year of his contract.
The report further states that, despite competition from elsewhere, Van Hecke has made up his mind that Tottenham is the club he wants to join.
The defender now wants the move done before the World Cup so he can concentrate on competing with the Netherlands.
Spurs cannot afford another hijacked deal
Van Hecke is clearly keen on a move to Spurs, and that will surely come as a huge positive for Tottenham, who cannot afford to see this deal hijacked.
We saw last summer how the Eberechi Eze deal was hijacked when Tottenham believed they were close to landing their target.
Of course, it is now up to Spurs to meet Brighton’s valuation of the centre-back, but with just a year left on his contract, the Lilywhites are in a position where they will not want to splash the cash.