Tottenham have already failed with two bids for Brighton & Hove Albion defender Jan Paul van Hecke, but they will not be deterred from trying to sign the 26-year-old, GIVEMESPORT understands.

After saving the club from relegation to the Championship on the final day of the season, Roberto De Zerbi‘s clear priority is improving the defence he has at Spurs, with Andy Robertson having already signed on a free transfer from Liverpool.

Marcos Senesi will join the Scot at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with confirmation of his transfer to the north London club expected imminently.

Tottenham have already had two bids rejected by Brighton

If Spurs are to get a deal over the line to sign van Hecke from the Seagulls, that would mean their first three signings of the summer window were all defenders. And it is no shock to see De Zerbi home in on the defence, after all, Spurs have shipped an incredible 113 goals in the last two Premier League seasons, finishing 17th in both campaigns.

Tottenham made a bid for van Hecke last week, although the exact fee was not disclosed. It was immediately rejected by Brighton, but Seagulls chief executive Paul Barber revealed the Lilywhites had followed up with a second offer too.

Speaking to Talksport, he said: “There’s always going to be a lot of interest in our best players, and certainly in the case of Jan Paul.

“We’ve been very clear that that interest has been ongoing for a while, it’s coming from multiple sources. Yes, we have rejected a bid from Tottenham over the last week or so, in fact, two bids.

“From that point of view, it has to be right for us as well as the player.

“We have to be in a position to make the best trades to suit our model and also to make sure that we’re supporting Fabian [Hurzeler], because he’s got another big season ahead of him.”

Van Hecke is keen on making the move to London

GMS understands that Spurs intend to make a third bid for the Dutchman, who is currently out in the USA preparing for the Netherlands’ 2026 World Cup campaign.

Brighton have their valuation of the defender – who turned 26 on Monday – which has been reported to be around the £70million mark, and they are notoriously hard to bargain with, sticking by their price tags. However, van Hecke only has one year left on his current contract at the Amex Stadium, with Spurs hoping to secure a cheaper deal for the player.

The one thing that could work in their favour is that van Hecke wants to make the move to north London. He is pushing hard to reunite with his former boss Roberto De Zerbi.

GMS sources close to the deal believe an agreement between the two clubs will ultimately be reached.

While the obvious focus of the 2026 World Cup will be on the football, it’s undeniable that there will be an ongoing political subtext surrounding the tournament. That’s nothing new to the sport, as it was very much present at Qatar 2022, and in many prior editions of the competition.

While there are many issues to contend with this summer, perhaps the most prominent one will be the ongoing Iranian conflict with the United States, one of the three co-hosts alongside Mexico and Canada. It was unclear if Iran would even be willing or able to play at the World Cup, but after months of uncertainty, they arrived in Mexico this week.

Iran Arrive For World Cup With 168 on Shirts

The squad was initially set to train in Tucson, Arizona, but amid the political unease, their base camp will be in Tijuana, Mexico. Iran’s players will not be able to avoid coming into the US, however, as they face group games against New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles, before heading to Seattle to face Egypt. That said, reports suggest the US government will demand that Iran leave the country on the same day that they arrive.

Having arrived in North America this week, the Iranian team immediately set about sending a strong political message to Donald Trump’s United States. Indeed, as reported by Catalan news outlet Ara, the players were spotted wearing pins on their clothing which bore the number 168.

This is a direct reference to, and is done in memory of, the 168 girls who died in the American bombing of the Minab school on 28 February.

A statement from UNICEF condemned the bombings at the time, as they confirmed that the attack took place while classes at the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in southern Iran were in progress:

As per the BBC, five former US officials, including a former top military lawyer, then criticised the Pentagon for not acknowledging potential American involvement in the deadly strike. President Trump said on 7 March that in his “opinion” Iran was to blame for the Minab strike, without providing evidence.

Iranian Squad Departed For World Cup Amid Chants of ‘Death to America’

The Iranian squad departed for Mexico from Tehran and were given a state farewell ceremony, in which they were seen off with Hezbollah flags and anti-US chants. Reports claim that the crowd even chanted: ‘Death to America’.

The ill-feeling on the sports side of things will not be helped by claims that the US have very difficulty for key staff members to get visas to enter the country. Iranian Football Federation Mehdi Taj, for example, was denied entry to Canada two weeks ago when he attempted to attend the FIFA Congress in Vancouver and is among the staff members whose visa applications were rejected ahead of arriving with the team this week.

When the tournament begins, there is a clear path which could lead the two nations to come up against each other. Should Iran and the USMNT finish second in their respective groups, they will go head-to-head in the round of 32 on 3 July in Arlington, Texas.

Tottenham are closing in on the signing of Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton, as the club’s big summer rebuild takes another huge step with a move for the defender.

Recent reports claim that Spurs have reached an agreement with the Dutch international over a deal on personal terms, while club-to-club talks are seemingly ongoing after two bids were rejected by the Seagulls.

With all indications seemingly pointing towards a deal being wrapped up, Van Hecke looks set to join Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi in a new-look backline for Tottenham and Roberto De Zerbi next season.

As the deal appears to be moving closer, there are other areas of rebuilding that need to be considered, with Tottenham lining up another two important transfers.

Tottenham Transfer Exits Planned

As Spurs close in on Van Hecke as their third addition to the defensive line, TEAMtalk reports that focus will shift towards exits in those areas in the coming weeks.

The three potential signings mean there will be too many players available at centre-back, especially for a campaign that won’t feature European football.

With that in mind, it’s claimed that Cristian Romero will part ways with Tottenham, as the club plan on letting the club captain leave in the coming weeks of the transfer window.

Reports have claimed that Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are interested in the Argentinian international, though it remains to be seen whether those clubs will make a move this summer.

Beyond Romero, there is also a plan to let Radu Dragusin leave, as the Romanian international looks for new opportunities elsewhere, where first-team football may be more regular.

Those two transfers are planned by Tottenham, but there is also a possibility that the club could receive interest in Micky van de Ven, as well as Luka Vuskovic.

It’s unclear whether offers received for those two could change the plans to sell Dragusin and Romero, but that will depend on when teams make their move for the Spurs stars.

Tottenham Transfer Priority

While it’s clear that Tottenham need to secure some sales to help balance out the numbers in the squad, as well as the finances, focus must still be placed on strengthening key areas, rather than weakening them.

That means Spurs must still make signings a priority, especially in the midfield and the forward areas, where the most improvement is still needed.

In the forward line, Tottenham are pursuing a deal to sign Savinho from Manchester City, with reports claiming that an agreement on personal terms has been reached.

Beyond a deal to sign the Brazilian winger, the Lilywhites must look at bringing some on-ball quality to the midfield to help build from the back and progress.

Tottenham are working at breakneck pace to get a squad together that can compete, after a clear wake-up call with the threat of Premier League relegation.

Now, things look set to get De Zerbi’s first full season up and running in fine fashion.