Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke has been regularly linked with a move to Chelsea over the last few months and amid interest from Tottenham, the Dutch ace has picked his next club.
A priority for Chelsea and Xabi Alonso will be centre-back this summer. Aaron Anselmino and Axel Disasi will return from their loans at Strasbourg and West Ham, taking Chelsea’s number of options to 10.
Of the 10 centre-backs Chelsea currently boast, only Levi Colwill, Jorrel Hato and Josh Acheampong can say for certain they will be at Chelsea next summer. Chelsea have made Acheampong an ‘untouchable’.
One of many problems on the pitch at the moment 🤦♂️
Trevoh Chalobah and Tosin Adarabioyo have the least amount of time left on their deals within Chelsea’s squad. Mamadou Sarr, Benoit Badiashile, Wesley Fofana and more find their futures at Chelsea in doubt.
But beyond sorting out their current options, Alonso will also want a signing or two in defence and one option regularly linked with Chelsea is van Hecke. Of course, Chelsea have a history with Brighton players.
Jan Paul van Hecke picks which club he would rather join
Moises Caicedo, Robert Sanchez, Joao Pedro, Marc Cucurella, even Graham Potter. They have all swapped The Amex for Stamford Bridge and this summer, van Hecke could be the latest name to add to the list.
However, Tottenham are pushing. Spurs have had two bids rejected already this summer, and Ben Jacobs says the North Londoners are planning on a third. Chelsea are lurking with Brighton requesting £70m.
According to French reporter Sebastien Vidal, van Hecke has now picked the club he would prefer to join this summer. Of course, it depends if either can meet Brighton’s asking price, but van Hecke wants Spurs.
The presence of his old Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi means he would prefer Spurs: “Internally, Van Hecke continues to express his desire to play for De Zerbi, a coach for whom he has enormous respect.”
Chelsea will have to be patient in pursuit of van Hecke
Alongside Hato, van Hecke is a part of the Netherlands’ World Cup squad and any potential deal is likely to have to wait until after the World Cup. Clearly, Spurs are pushing, but a deal is going to take time.
Chelsea have high hopes for Josh Acheampong under Xabi Alonso…
Where does Acheampong fit in with Chelsea’s plans for 2026/27?
Perhaps, if Chelsea are interested, it is going to be about a waiting game. Remain patient and see if Tottenham can afford to pay £70m, but there is time with van Hecke’s focus likely to be on the World Cup.
For now, Chelsea are yet to make their first move in the transfer window. Alonso takes office on July 1, though he has visited Chelsea’s training ground in the last week. Spurs are in the driving seat, though.
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