Tottenham Hotspur’s interest in Jan Paul van Hecke is continuing to attract attention in the Netherlands, with the Brighton defender told he’d be making a major step forward with the potential transfer.
Van Hecke has been strongly liked with Spurs over the last few weeks. Reports in the Netherlands and England have already made it clear that Tottenham are pushing to reunite him with Roberto de Zerbi.
They’ve already seen a €40m bid rejected, with claims that Brighton are demanding as much as €80m.
Tottenham a step up
Some, such as Rafael van der Vaart, have raised doubts about that potential €80m fee. And journalist Mike Verweij has doubts as well. However, he thinks that a move to Tottenham is a logical one for Van Hecke to make.
“Whether he’ll ever reach that level (Van Dijk and Ake) remains to be seen,” Voetbal Primeur report him saying.
“But it’s certainly a very logical move. Spurs have had a disastrous season, finishing below Brighton, but Spurs are a much bigger club than Brighton.
“So that would be a really great step in that lad’s development, to be able to train there under Roberto De Zerbi. I think he should definitely go for it.”
Brighton resistance
While the move to Tottenham is seen as a step up, there’s no indication Brighton will sanction it any time soon.
The Seagulls appear resistant to any kind of deal, despite the fact that Jan Paul van Hecke’s deal expires next summer. So far, they have shown no desire to rush into a sale to avoid losing the 24-year-old on a free next summer.
€80m is certainly an eye-catching figure. And Valentijn Driessen admits it’s a number that could lead to a drawn-out transfer process.
“It could well turn into a very long-drawn-out process. I think that’s a great deal to ask for a player like Jan Paul van Hecke,” he added.
