Tottenham are in talks with Brighton over the futures of Jan Paul van Hecke and Luka Vuskovic, and are also eyeing a move for a Premier League rival as Roberto De Zerbi ramps up his summer rebuild.
Brighton have made a £30million bid to sign Croatian defender Vuskovic. The 19-year-old, who is viewed as one of the most exciting young defenders in Europe, spent last season on loan at Hamburg, appearing 30 times for the Bundesliga club in all competitions, 28 of them in the league.
He was included in coach Zlatko Dalic’s 26-man squad for the World Cup and could feature in the opening game against England.
Spurs are also in discussions with Brighton over the sale of fellow central defender van Hecke with two bids having been rejected so far.
A third bid is expected to follow after negotiations this weekend.
Fabrizio Romano: Tottenham in talks to submit bid for £70m star who wants to join
The Lilywhites have been the busiest team in the Premier League so far this summer.
Andy Robertson and Marcos Senesi have already arrived to bolster De Zerbi’s defensive options while the manager was reportedly instrumental in tying full-back Pedro Porro down to a new contract, with the Italian wasting no time transforming his squad this summer.
The transfer window officially opened on Monday June 15, and Fabrizio Romano reports they will also look to strengthen in midfield.
Spurs aren’t stopping there either, and could now make a shock move for a Premier League rival to reinforce their attacking ranks.
Tottenham admire Chelsea star
Journalist Ben Jacobs has told the Last Word on Spurs podcast that the Lilywhites could make a move for Chelsea striker Liam Delap.
Delap, who is yet to play for England but has starred for the U21 side, wants to prove himself at Chelsea, but may have no choice but to move on if Xabi Alonso prefers Joao Pedro and Nicolas Jackson.
Once that pecking order is clear there is set to be a chase for his signature, says Jacobs, with Spurs one of three English clubs eyeing a move.
“I think that Liam Delap could be one to watch from Chelsea, another club that Tottenham wouldn’t normally do too much business with.
“Newcastle, Everton, Tottenham, the three clubs that like Delap. Before we can clarify whether anything is going to develop there, Delap wants to stay and fight for his place, so he’s going to understand where he is in this pecking order, with Joao Pedro number one under Xabi Alonso, who is going to be the number two striker?
“Is it still going to be Delap? Is it alternatively going to be Nico Jackson, who’s coming back from a loan spell at Bayern? I think unlikely, but Jackson wants pre-season to see if he can change the new manager’s mind.
“Once all that falls into place, if Delap is available on the market, Newcastle, Everton and Tottenham are the three Premier League clubs I’m hearing.”
Dominic Solanke and Richarlison have both struggled with injuries in North London, so it would be no surprise to see De Zerbi invest in a new number nine.
What would be a surprise however is if that number nine is another injury-prone player – Delap missed 15 games through hamstring and shoulder problems last season.
That meant the former Ipswich star started just 12 Premier League games, scoring once, but at 23 years of age still has time to improve.
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