Tottenham Hotspur have completed the signing of Brighton centre-half Jan Paul van Hecke for £52 million. The 26-year-old Dutch defender moves to reunite with former manager Roberto De Zerbi at the club.
The transfer comes with Van Hecke having one year remaining on his Brighton contract. The Seagulls chose to sell now instead of risking a free departure next summer.
Van Hecke said he has a strong connection with De Zerbi and is excited to join after hearing positive feedback from teammate Micky van de Ven. He is currently with the Netherlands squad at the World Cup.
Tottenham finished 17th in the Premier League last season. They have already added Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson on free transfers while captain Cristian Romero is expected to depart this summer.
The deal is unrelated to Brighton’s rejected £30 million bid for Tottenham’s Luka Vuskovic.
