Brighton have signed Croatia centre-back Luka Vuskovic from Tottenham for a club-record £46m, with the fee potentially rising to £50m through additional payments, according to BBC Sport.
The 19-year-old has signed a five-year contract at the Amex, with an option for a further year. Brighton had two bids rejected last month before returning with an offer Spurs were willing to accept.
Vuskovic joined Tottenham in 2025 from Hajduk Split. He was sent out on loan to Hamburg shortly after arriving at Tottenham and made 30 appearances in the Bundesliga last season, scoring six goals – enough to earn him the Rookie of the Season award and a place in the league’s Team of the Year.
Who Spurs sold and who they bought back
The transfer is effectively the other half of a straight swap with Brighton, with Jan Paul van Hecke moving in the opposite direction. Spurs agreed a £52m deal for the Netherlands centre-back, meaning both clubs have raided each other’s defensive depth this window. Whether Tottenham got the better end of that arrangement is a question that will take a few seasons to answer properly.
Vuskovic has six senior caps for Croatia and made his World Cup debut against England in the group stages last month, which will have done his market value no harm at all. Spurs, for their part, effectively turned a future transfer agreement into a significant profit after one loan season in Germany – a reasonable piece of business, even if losing a 19-year-old with that profile stings slightly.
Hurzeler’s measured pitch
Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler said the club has followed Vuskovic’s career closely.
For Spurs, the story ends here – at least in the short term. Vuskovic’s performances at Hamburg had generated genuine excitement about what he might become in N17. Instead, Brighton get to find out. They start the new Premier League season at home to Aston Villa on 23 August.
