Van Hecke hints at Tottenham move but insists transfer clarity will wait until after World Cup

Jan Paul van Hecke has strongly hinted he is heading to Tottenham this summer, telling reporters he has already achieved personal “clarity” on his club future — but insisting the details will only become public after the World Cup.

Spurs have had two bids rejected for the Brighton centre-back, who has one year remaining on his contract at the Amex. Discussions between the clubs are ongoing, with Brighton separately pursuing Croatian defender Luka Vuskovic as a potential replacement in a deal worth around £30 million.

Van Hecke, who is set to partner Virgil van Dijk in the Netherlands’ Group F opener against Japan in Dallas, was careful not to let transfer speculation overshadow his World Cup debut. “First of all, I just want to focus on the Dutch national team on Sunday,” he said. “That is a very important match for us, for me. So that’s my focus until now. Of course, things are also playing, and I know that myself too. But that’s not for now, that’s more after the World Cup. I will then see where I play.”

Asked directly whether he had resolved his future, the 25-year-old added: “I have also said very clearly that I would like to have clarity for myself before the World Cup. And I have that too. But then for now for myself it’s just clear. I just want to play the World Cup as well as possible. That clarity will probably come after the World Cup — when I make that step, then it’s clear to everyone.”

The move would carry extra personal significance for Van Hecke. His uncle, Jan Poortvliet, represented the Netherlands at the 1978 World Cup and played in the final, where Oranje lost to hosts Argentina in Buenos Aires. Making his own tournament debut would fulfil a childhood ambition shaped by that family legacy.

His former club NAC Breda also stand to benefit financially from any transfer. Van Hecke holds a 7.5 per cent sell-on clause in favour of the Dutch side, a detail he acknowledged with evident pride. “My story is special anyway, because I was still playing as a main class amateur at 17,” he said. “We were promoted then and that is of course special — now that you take such a step, very nice amounts will eventually go back to where you started. Of course those people are watching and thinking about that amount.”

Tottenham’s interest is understood to be driven in part by Van Hecke’s familiarity with head coach Roberto De Zerbi, who managed him during his time at Brighton. Meanwhile, Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman is monitoring the fitness of Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, who picked up a hip injury in the team’s final warm-up match against Uzbekistan.