Spurs' Vuskovic set to join Brighton in club record deal

Croatia international Luka Vuskovic is set to join Brighton; Spurs signed Jan Paul van Hecke last month, with Vuskovic now behind Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and new signing Marcos Senesi in the centre-back pecking order; Vuskovic is at the World Cup with Croatia

>Centre-back Luka Vuskovic is set to join Brighton from Tottenham.

>The deal agreed between the clubs is for around £50m, made up of £46m plus £4m in very achievable add-ons. There is also a 20-per-cent sell-on clause and matching rights in the deal.

>It is an improvement on Brighton's previous bid of £45m in total, including add-ons, which was rejected by Spurs.

>Vuskovic is set to be Brighton's club record signing, surpassing the £40m the Seagulls paid for Georginio Rutter in August 2024 from Leeds United. He will also depart as the fourth-most expensive sale in Tottenham's history without ever playing a competitive match for the club.

>The highly-rated defender was signed from Hadjuk Split in 2023 as a 16-year-old for £9.5m. He officially joined last summer and scored in a pre-season friendly against Reading.

>The 19-year-old went on loan to Hamburg and was one of the stand-out performers in the Bundesliga last season.

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>Vuskovic's priority was to play first-team football this season, but he was not open to the idea of another temporary move. He viewed Brighton as a great next step in his career.

>His prospects of being a first-team regular at Spurs appeared to be slim after the signings of Jan Paul van Hecke - acquired in a £52m deal from Brighton - and Marcos Senesi in his position.

>Realistically, he would have been at least fifth choice in the Spurs squad, behind also Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero at present.

>There is a real feeling at Spurs that Vuskovic could become one of the best defenders in the world but that he was not quite ready to make that step to being a regular starter for them in the Premier League.

>Spurs have protected themselves by including a matching clause in the deal in case he fulfils his huge potential.

>Vuskovic is currently at the World Cup with Croatia. They play Portugal in the round of 32 at 12am on Friday morning.

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>Latest from Sky in Italy's Gianluca Di Marzio and Sky Sports News' Michael Bridge:

>Talks are understood to be intensifying over Sandro Tonali's potential move to Tottenham from Newcastle.

>There is growing optimism of a conclusion to this deal ahead of this weekend.

>Our colleagues at Sky in Italy are reporting that the midfielder has "never been closer" to Spurs.

>They say the fee being discussed is beyond €100m, which is more than £86m and would surpass the club-record £85m that Roberto De Zerbi's side agreed for Matheus Fernandes on Tuesday.

>Sky Sports News understands Tottenham remain in pole position for Tonali despite interest from Manchester City.

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