Brighton & Hove Albion have submitted a £30million bid for luka vušković, and Tottenham Hotspur now face a decision on a 19-year-old centre-back who has not yet made his first official appearance for the club. The move puts his future at Spurs in doubt just as Croatia prepare to use him at the World Cup.
Vušković and Tottenham
Vušković agreed to join Tottenham from Hajduk Split three years ago, but transfer regulations meant he could not complete the move until after he turned 18 in February 2025. He scored in a pre-season friendly against Reading last summer, then travelled with Tottenham on tour to Hong Kong and South Korea before joining Hamburg in August.
Last season, he scored six goals in 28 Bundesliga appearances on loan at Hamburg. That output is unusual for a centre-back and helps explain why Brighton have moved with a £30million offer before he has even played a competitive match for Spurs.
Brighton’s offer
The bid lands at a time when Tottenham are trying to add across the squad and have already confirmed the signings of Marcos Senesi and Andy Robertson. Spurs have also submitted two offers for Brighton centre-back Jan Paul van Hecke, are in positive talks with the camp of Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali and want to sign Manchester City winger Savinho.
That activity sits alongside a thinner picture in other areas. Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert are expected to miss the start of next season after ACL injuries earlier this year, Mohammed Kudus was ruled out for the rest of the campaign and the World Cup with Ghana after a hamstring injury in January, and Dominic Solanke has dealt with ankle, knee and muscle problems over the last 18 months.
Croatia and Spurs
Richarlison finished as Tottenham’s top scorer in the league last season with 11 goals, but he has a year left on his contract, adding another layer to a squad already under pressure for numbers and quality in attack. Spurs released Yves Bissouma earlier this week, four years after signing him from Brighton for £25m, and Brennan Johnson was sold to Crystal Palace two and a half years after his £47.5m move from Nottingham Forest.
Vuskovic is set to play for Croatia at this summer’s World Cup, where their first group-stage game is against England on Wednesday evening. Harry Kane leads England into that opener, while Tottenham’s next move on the 19-year-old may say as much about their wider recruitment plan as it does about one defender’s future.
