Tottenham ready to pay £40m for Brighton star

Tottenham Hotspur are prepared to spend £40 million to purchase Brighton & Hove Albion defender Jan Paul van Hecke at the turn of the year.

The north London giants started the campaign on a bright note, but their form has nosedived over the past few months, leading to questions over the future of manager Thomas Frank.

Teamtalk now claim that Spurs are likely to back Frank with a mid-season spending spree. A new central defender could be signed to compete with Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.

On paper, Romero and Van de Ven are undisputed starting centre-backs in the Premier League and Champions League games, but there are concerns over their injury records and need to be managed better.

Frank does not seem convinced over Kevin Danso as the immediate backup, and has his sights on landing Van Hecke from Brighton.

Spurs are prepared to spend £40 million on the Dutchman, but the Seagulls could hold out for much more to sanction a mid-season exit.