Tottenham reject second Brighton bid for Luka Vuskovic

Tottenham’s transfer window has been the story of the summer so far as Roberto De Zerbi continues an ambitious rebuild ahead of his first full season in charge.

The north London club made another major breakthrough this week by agreeing a £52 million deal for Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke.

The Dutch international is expected to become one of the headline arrivals of the summer after reportedly making it clear he wanted the move to Tottenham.

His arrival follows the signings of Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi, giving De Zerbi several important additions in defence for relatively little cost.

Attention is now beginning to shift towards the next phase of Tottenham’s recruitment plans.

One of the biggest stories surrounding the club concerns an ambitious move for Newcastle star Sandro Tonali.

Spurs are preparing to open club-to-club talks with Newcastle over a potential move for the 26-year-old after identifying him as a priority target (Fabrizio Romano).

Landing a player of his calibre would represent a huge statement of intent from Tottenham.

The club also remain interested in Man City winger Savinho, as per multiple reports, and the Brazilian attacker is viewed by some as an ideal fit for De Zerbi’s attacking philosophy.

Those pursuits underline the scale of Tottenham’s ambitions.

However, while the club continue working on potential arrivals, they are also fighting to get maximum value for one of their most exciting young players.

Tottenham reject second Brighton bid for Luka Vuskovic

According to David Ornstein, Tottenham have rejected a second offer from Brighton for teenage defender Luka Vuskovic, with the bid said to be worth around £35 million.

Despite Brighton’s persistence, Spurs have made it clear they are not prepared to sell at that valuation, with Sky Sports recently suggesting it could take nearly double that amount.

De Zerbi’s side apparently value Vuskovic at around £60 million, so the Seagulls will need to seriously bump up their proposals.

The decision highlights just how highly Vuskovic is rated inside the club.

The Croatian teenager is widely regarded as one of the most promising young defenders in European football, and is fresh off the back of a stunning loan spell at Hamburg, where he made it into the Bundesliga team of the season.

Brighton are among those who believe his potential is enormous.

The Seagulls initially explored a deal earlier in the window before returning with an improved proposal, but with that second bid now being turned down as well, it remains to be seen whether Brighton come back in.

Interestingly, Vuskovic’s future was occasionally discussed alongside negotiations involving Van Hecke.

Brighton were rumoured to be interested in finding creative solutions during talks between the two clubs. However, Ornstein’s report makes it clear that the situations are being treated separately.

Tottenham have no intention of allowing the ‘exceptional‘ Vuskovic to leave simply because they are signing Van Hecke.