{"id":6640,"date":"2026-05-10T01:21:44","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T01:21:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=6640"},"modified":"2026-05-10T01:21:44","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T01:21:44","slug":"tottenham-and-liverpool-most-advanced-on-60m-jan-paul-van-hecke-move-de-zerbi-is-pushing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=6640","title":{"rendered":"Tottenham and Liverpool most advanced on \u00a360m Jan Paul van Hecke move, De Zerbi is pushing"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"post-394879\">\n<div class=\"article-follow\">\n<div class=\"article-sharing google-follow\">  <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"28\" height=\"28\" src=\"https:\/\/www.spurs-web.com\/wp-content\/themes\/grv-media\/img\/google-discover.svg\" alt=\"\"\/> <span>Add as preferred source on Google<\/span>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Tottenham Hotspur are now locked in a transfer battle with Liverpool over Jan Paul van Hecke, with the Reds reportedly making the first move in the race for the defender.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Based on recent reports, there is no denying that Tottenham Hotspur have Jan Paul van Hecke as a defensive target for the summer window.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-grvmedia-grv-video GRVMultiVideo\"\/>\n<p>Earlier this week, Spurs Web reported that Tottenham are now looking to accelerate their pursuit of Van Hecke following intense competition for his signature.<\/p>\n<p>The defender himself is said to be open to working with Roberto De Zerbi again, having played under the Italian during his time at Brighton and Hove Albion. However, any potential reunion will hinge on Spurs remaining a Premier League club next season.<\/p>\n<p>Despite that, it now appears a move could be complicated further as Tottenham continue their pursuit of the 25-year-old.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"694\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 991px) 100vw, 800px\" src=\"https:\/\/www.spurs-web.com\/static\/uploads\/1\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2271939460-1024x694.jpg\" alt=\"Tottenham target Jan Paul van Hecke\" class=\"wp-image-394981\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.spurs-web.com\/static\/uploads\/1\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2271939460-1024x694.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.spurs-web.com\/static\/uploads\/1\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2271939460-300x203.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.spurs-web.com\/static\/uploads\/1\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2271939460-768x521.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.spurs-web.com\/static\/uploads\/1\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2271939460-1536x1041.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.spurs-web.com\/static\/uploads\/1\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2271939460-1140x773.jpg 1140w, https:\/\/www.spurs-web.com\/static\/uploads\/1\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2271939460-750x508.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.spurs-web.com\/static\/uploads\/1\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2271939460-scaled.jpg 1280w\"\/><\/div><figcaption title=\"LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 18: Jan Paul van Hecke of Brighton &amp; Hove Albion runs with the ball while under pressure from Dominic Solanke of Tottenham Hotspur during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton &amp; Hove Albion at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on April 18, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt\/Getty Images)\">Photo by Mike Hewitt\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tottenham-and-liverpool-battle-for-jan-paul-van-hecke-transfer\">Tottenham and Liverpool battle for Jan Paul van Hecke transfer<\/h2>\n<p>TeamTalk has now revealed that Roberto De Zerbi would love to work with Jan Paul van Hecke once again, but it is Liverpool who have now made a move for the Brighton and Hove Albion defender.<\/p>\n<p>The Reds are also in the market for a new centre-back, while Spurs Web has consistently reported on Liverpool\u2019s interest in Dutch defender Micky van de Ven.<\/p>\n<p>It now appears Liverpool is looking to scupper Tottenham\u2019s plans for the Brighton star, with TeamTalk revealing they have recently entered the race by making initial contact with Van Hecke\u2019s representatives. <\/p>\n<p>It is claimed that Arne Slot views the Netherlands international as an ideal addition to strengthen Liverpool\u2019s backline.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-spurs-stepping-up-jan-paul-van-hecke-pursuit\">Spurs stepping up Jan Paul van Hecke pursuit<\/h2>\n<p>Spurs, however, are not backing down in their pursuit of Van Hecke, with the same report stating that Tottenham are also stepping up their interest in the Brighton defender.<\/p>\n<p>Spurs Web reported earlier this week that De Zerbi\u2019s connection with Van Hecke could hand the Lilywhites an advantage in the race for the centre-back, and that claim has now been reiterated by TeamTalk.<\/p>\n<p>  Van Hecke and Van de Ven are also said to be close friends, with Spurs hopeful the Dutch defender could help sway the decision in their favour.<\/p>\n<p>Interestingly, it is also claimed that signing Van Hecke could potentially help Tottenham keep hold of Van de Ven. <\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Chelsea and Newcastle United remain in the race for the Brighton defender, although neither club is believed to be as advanced as Spurs and Liverpool.<\/p>\n<p>Brighton, on the other hand, are keen to keep the centre-back and has attempted to tie him down to a new contract, but talks have stalled. <\/p>\n<p>With just one year remaining on his current deal, the Seagulls are now braced for substantial offers, with reports suggesting a valuation in the region of \u00a360m.<\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.spurs-web.com\/subscribe\/\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-feedback\">\n<div class=\"info\"> <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"32\" height=\"32\" viewbox=\"0 0 32 32\"> <path fill=\"#EC1B23\" d=\"M27.167 5.194c.261-.124.444-.325.75-.403-1.331-1.581-3.131-2.651-5.114-3.196-1.88-.517-4.161-.765-6.074-.262-1.756.461-3.144 1.672-4.802 2.352-2.104.862-4.426.657-6.531-.104.48 4.57.969 9.13 1.498 13.651 1.279.743 2.629.96 4.079.712 1.594-.273 3.005-1.037 4.47-1.677 1.684-.737 3.42-1.106 5.263-.953 2.008.167 3.886.889 5.715 1.689 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battle&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6641,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6640","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6640"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6640\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}