Croatia boss tells Vuskovic to leave Tottenham after Brighton's £35m bid rejected

Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic has urged Luka Vuskovic to secure a move away from Tottenham, insisting the 19-year-old needs regular first-team football after Brighton’s second bid — worth up to £35 million — was rejected by the north London club.

Vuskovic is in contention to start Croatia’s World Cup 2026 Group L opener against England in Dallas on Wednesday, with his club future unresolved heading into the tournament. Dalic, speaking to Mirror Football, made clear he expects the defender to eventually force his way into the top tier of the game — but only if he plays consistently.

“Vuskovic is a great talent and a great player, he played a great season in his club, he has great potential,” Dalic said. “He will decide his career himself with the people that manage him but it’s important for him to find a club where he will play in the starting XI. Again, we have a great player for the next 15 years.”

Dalic also drew a direct comparison to Josko Gvardiol, suggesting Vuskovic is being groomed as his long-term successor in the Croatian defence. “He will be succeeding Gvardiol, he’s very smart, he plays a difficult position and he’s still a young player,” he added. “I expect him to prove himself at this World Cup and to be a great player for us in the next 15 years.”

Vuskovic spent last season on loan at Hamburg, where he scored six goals and earned a place in the Bundesliga Team of the Season. Those performances have effectively ruled out a return to HSV — where his brother plays and is due back from a lengthy doping ban in November — with the player understood to have more lucrative options available.

His desire to play regularly and avoid another loan spell makes a permanent Tottenham exit increasingly likely, provided Spurs’ valuation is met. Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi is meanwhile closing in on a second centre-back signing of the summer, with Jan Paul van Hecke set to join in a £52 million deal after Marcos Senesi arrived on a free transfer from Bournemouth. Van Hecke’s arrival would push Vuskovic even further down the pecking order at Spurs, adding further pressure on all parties to find a resolution.