Tottenham have tabled a bid to sign Brighton star Jan Paul van Hecke for Roberto De Zerbi, according to David Ornstein.

Spurs are keen to bolster their squad this summer after narrowly avoiding relegation this season, with De Zerbi guiding the team to safety in his seven games in charge thanks to a 1-0 win over Everton on the final day of the Premier League season.

The club are now desperate to strengthen their squad to avoid it happening again, and after agreeing deals for Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi, they have now made their move to bring in another defender.

Tottenham Table Bid for Van Hecke

Van Hecke, who has been described as ‘incredible’, has been impressive in the Seagulls defence in recent campaigns, and has been identified by De Zerbi as someone who could bolster the defence in north London.

The Netherlands international, who has been included in their squad for the World Cup this summer, is entering the final 12 months of his contract at the Amex Stadium, and is attracting the interest of several clubs.

But Spurs have become the first club to make a formal move, tabling an official bid for his services.

While the value of the bid is currently unclear, it’s reported that the bid was rejected as it fell below Brighton’s valuation of the defender, with reports suggesting they will demand as much as £70m to let him leave.

Van Hecke is understood to be very close to coach De Zerbi from their time together at Brighton between 2022 and 2024, and a move to north London would appeal to the 25-year-old.

West Ham United’s relegation from the Premier League is set to trigger several player exits as the Hammers need to balance the books heading into next season.

It is estimated sales between £100m-£150m will be required for the club to clear their debts. Mateus Fernandes is one player attracting major interest from several Premier League sides.

Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool have all been linked with the player who has a valuation of £80m.

The Irons need to clarify which players they will allow to leave the club before they can begin to make additions as they look to get out of the Championship at the first time of asking.

And enquiries on some new signings are already being made.

West Ham make enquiry for Josh Mulligan

According to GIVEMESPORT senior football correspondent Ben Jacobs, the Hammers have made an initial enquiry about signing Josh Mulligan from Scottish Premiership side Hibernian.

The 23-year-old joined Hibs last summer and is under contract with the Edinburgh club until 2029.

His season was disrupted by a serious ankle injury back in January which required surgery. He returned for the final two games of the campaign against Rangers and Motherwell.

In recent days, Hibs head coach David Gray described the player as ‘excellent’ and ‘hard-working’ as he praised the midfielder for the manner in which he battled back from his injury.

While West Ham have made an enquiry, there is no formal offer as they continue to assess who they will need to sell this summer.

Gray has been linked with English clubs before, with both Nottingham Forest and Leeds United credited with an interest ahead of the January window.

However, with Mulligan picking up his injury in mid-January, any hopes of a Premier League move were dashed.

Who is West Ham target Josh Mulligan?

Mulligan came through the academy at Scottish club Dundee, and had loan spells at Cove Rangers and Peterhead before becoming a first-team regular.

He made a total of 122 appearances for Dundee, scoring six goals and providing 10 assists. He earned a move to Hibs last summer and played 33 times for the club, with three goals and five assists.

He joined Hibs on a free transfer when his contract at Dundee expired. However, the Easter Road club did pay a compensation package to the Dark Blues as the player came through their academy.

That agreement, according to The Courier, contains a sell-on clause. That could result in Hibs putting a slightly bigger price tag on Mulligan if West Ham decide to proceed with a formal bid.

Newcastle United are ‘genuine contenders’ to sign a player from Manchester City this summer, according to TEAMtalk.

The Magpies will be out to improve on last season’s bottom-half Premier League finish. It was a disappointing campaign for the club and manager Eddie Howe.

Newcastle have qualified for the Champions League twice since Howe’s arrival as manager but there will be no European football for the club next term as they look to rebuild.

Some transfer business has already taken place at St James’ Park with Anthony Gordon leaving the north east outfit and joining Barcelona for around £70m.

That fee will boost Newcastle’s funds for incoming signings this summer and one player they have their eye on his City goalkeeper James Trafford.

James Trafford keen on Newcastle United switch

The goalkeeper joined City from Burnley last summer but his ambitions of being number one at the club were dashed when Pep Guardiola made a late summer swoop for Gianluigi Donnarumma.

The ex-AC Milan stopper was signed for just £26m after surprisingly leaving Paris Saint-Germain.

According to TEAMtalk, Trafford views a move to Newcastle positively and is attracted to the project at the club.

He is also attracted to the prospect of becoming a key player for the Magpies, which would also help him as he eyes the number one spot with England.

Newcastle have competition from several Premier League rivals for Trafford with Aston Villa previously linked, but only if Emi Martinez moves on.

Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have also been credited with an interest.

Newcastle need to upgrade goalkeeping department

Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope turned 34 in April and is approaching the final years of his career.

Trafford is still only 23 and has his best years ahead of him. He is unlikely to usurp Donnarumma for the number one spot at City and is keen to move somewhere he can play regularly.

He is on wages of £100,000-a-week while City are ready to demand £40m to sell him this summer. The former Burnley player made the move to the Etihad Stadium for around £30m about 12 months ago.

Newcastle did have an offer accepted by Burnley for Trafford but City had a matching rights clause in the player’s contract after initially selling him to Burnley.

With the Magpies’ offer accepted, the matching rights agreement allowed City to swoop. They will now want to make a profit on the player before going into the market for a new number two.

The Magpies are in the market for a new goalkeeper after opting against a permanent move for Aaron Ramsdale, who will return to Southampton following the end of his season-long loan at St James’ Park.