Brighton have submitted a formal offer of £30m for Tottenham Hotspur centre-back Luka Vuskovic, according to David Ornstein of The Athletic. The 19-year-old, signed from Hajduk Split in 2023 for around £12m, has not yet made a senior appearance for Spurs but spent last season on loan at Hamburg, where he established himself as one of the most coveted young defenders in Europe.
This comes from Ornstein, which means it is not speculation and not a fishing expedition from an agent. A formal bid is on the table. Vuskovic is contracted to Spurs until 2030, his market value is widely estimated at above £50m, and as our own prior coverage has outlined, Johan Lange has been specifically tasked with resisting exactly this kind of approach.
A £30m bid for a £60m asset is an opener, not a closer
Brighton’s offer is roughly half of Spurs’ reported internal valuation and well below the figures attached to Vuskovic’s name in recent months. Transfermarkt places him above €60m; Barcelona and Bayern Munich have both been linked, as reporting on agent Pini Zahavi’s conversations with Barcelona has made clear. Brighton know all of this. This bid is a statement of intent, not a serious attempt to conclude a deal at that number.
Spurs hold every lever here – a long contract, a player under their control, and a valuation that Brighton have not come close to meeting. The uncomfortable part is that Vuskovic is reportedly keen on the move, drawn by Brighton’s track record of developing young players and Fabian Hürzeler’s project. Player desire does not override a 2030 contract, but it adds noise Spurs could do without.
The question now is whether Spurs hold their nerve
Brighton’s bid also lands in the middle of separate negotiations over Jan Paul van Hecke, with Spurs having already had at least one offer rejected. The two deals are linked in the sense that both clubs know it, which complicates the dynamic without changing Spurs’ fundamental position on Vuskovic.
Vuskovic is currently with Croatia at the 2026 World Cup, so any resolution is unlikely before his international commitments end. That buys Spurs time – and, given how well he performed at Hamburg, the interest will only intensify. If the club is serious about keeping him, a firm rejection and a public show of commitment would not go amiss. Watch this space.
