Brighton and Hove Albion defender Jan Paul van Hecke has insisted he has no intention of spending another season out on loan, with a permanent exit possible this summer.
The 22-year-old recently sat down for an interview with Voetbal International, relayed by Soccer Nieuws, to discuss last summer and his future.
He’s been with the Seagulls since joining from NAC Breda in September 2020 but is yet to establish himself with the club, instead spending the last two seasons out on loan.
He first went to Heerenveen in the Netherlands before spending a campaign with Blackburn, where he was a key player across the campaign.
He returned to Brighton in the summer but has barely featured this year, managing just eight appearances and 442 minutes of action in total this season.
And now he intends to wait and see what happens for him in the summer as a result, even if Brighton take up an option to extend his contract by another year as expected.
“Waiting another season will be difficult,” he told Voetbal International, relayed by Soccer Nieuws.
“Ideally, I will become a regular at Brighton. My option will be exercised in May. Then I’ll be fixed for another year. Last summer they already wanted to break open my contract. Then we didn’t come to an agreement.
“For other clubs it is now also becoming interesting, because I will be relatively cheap to take over. It will probably be another transfer window in which I am glued to the phone.
“Renting out is out of the question. That has happened twice, but then you are just acclimatised and you have to leave again. I’m done with that.”
