Tottenham transfer news: Spurs' Luka Vuskovic dilemma as two Brighton bids rejected after...

Tottenham have a dilemma on their hands with Luka Vuskovic after rejecting two offers from Brighton for the teenage centre-back. The 19-year-old, who established himself as one of Europe's best young defenders on loan at Hamburg, wants to be a regular starter now but is not interested in another temporary move. Brighton's latest offer was for £35m and News understands that they will not go back in with a fresh proposal immediately despite agreeing a deal to sell central defender Jan Paul van Hecke to Spurs for £52m on Tuesday. Not got broadcaster? or 📺 Vuskovic's prospects of being a first-team regular at Spurs next season appear slim now, with Van Hecke set to join and Marcos Senesi already signed this summer. If Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero stay, Vuskovic will realistically be Spurs' fifth choice. Romero's future is uncertain, just as it was last summer before he signed a new deal, but it remains to be seen if there are any clubs that would pay enough to convince Spurs to sell. There is a real feeling at Spurs that Vuskovic could become one of the best defenders in the world but that he is not quite ready to make that step to being a regular starter in the Premier League. There are parallels to the situation Arsenal had with William Saliba. The France international had three loans in Ligue 1 before being fully integrated into the first-team picture and becoming one of the Premier League's best defenders. Spurs have plans to spend big this summer and, naturally, that will lead to player sales. However, in an ideal world, they will raise funds elsewhere on players who are not part of De Zerbi's future plans. Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic says it is important that Vuskovic finds a club where he will play regularly. Spurs agree but can only offer a loan. Brighton can give the teenager what he wants but are unwilling to overpay. This situation could rumble on. Spurs agree Van Hecke deal The deal for Van Hecke is believed to be around £52m and the player has expressed his desire to play under 'father figure' Roberto De Zerbi. The centre-back only wanted to join Tottenham. The Netherlands international defender has one year left on his contract at Brighton and played under De Zerbi between 2023 and 2024. The Seagulls would be making considerable profit on the 26-year-old, having signed him for £1.8m from NAC Breda in 2020. It is understood Brighton have negotiated a 20 per cent sell on clause in the move. The signing is part of a huge few weeks planned at Tottenham, with the club determined to back De Zerbi in the market and major changes planned. , while they also remained interested in Manchester City forward Savinho. Why Vuskovic doesn't suit De Zerbi's style The possibility of losing teenager Vuskovic, who has never played a competitive game for Tottenham, has caused quite a stir among Spurs fans. The 19-year-old has only played one season in Europe's top five leagues but has shown at Hamburg this past season that he is already among the very best defenders. Vuskovic is a strong physical presence who thrives in aerial battles and his numbers for duels per 90, aerial duels per 90 and blocks and clearances per 90 not only place him above his Spurs team-mates but nearly every defender in Europe's top five leagues. The Croatia defender was the highest-scoring central defender in the Bundesliga with five goals. His rate of return per 90 (0.22) is better than all of Spurs' other options at centre-back with Romero the closest behind him (0.19) and most defenders in Europe's top five leagues. So, why do Spurs not think he is ready to be a regular starter for them? The clue is in the profile of the two defenders they are bringing in: both Senesi and Van Hecke are elite distributors of the ball which is a key demand of De Zerbi on his centre-backs. Vuskovic, however, does not perform as well in possession as he does in those key defensive metrics and as a goalscorer. His percentage of forward passes last season (32 per cent) was lower than every other Spurs central defender bar Micky van de Ven (30.4 per cent). By comparison, Senesi played more than half of his passes forward last season, which puts him at the top of every other defender in Europe's top five leagues for progressive distribution, while Van Hecke played more than 31 per cent of his passes forward. Vuskovic also had a lot fewer touches per 90 (76) than Spurs' other central defenders, except for Radu Dragusin, with Van Hecke (85) a