AdminBrighton & Hove Albion have agreed a deal to sell Jan Paul van Hecke to Tottenham Hotspur this week.
The Netherlands international’s exit will see the Seagulls look for his successor.
Brighton are focusing on Venezia’s Michael Svoboda, after failing to make progress to sign Spurs’ Luka Vušković.
The Austria international has a €5m release clause that will come into effect from July.
On Thursday, Sport Witness relayed news that Brighton have informed the Italian club of their plan to activate the clause. They are also working on agreeing personal terms with the centre-back.
Updates on Brighton’s ongoing efforts
Journalist Lorenzo Lepore took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to report the English club haven’t agreed with the defender yet. However, negotiations between the two parties are advancing.
TuttoMercatoWeb have a report on Michael Svoboda, and their title says he’s ‘one step away’ from joining Fabian Hürzeler’s side.
Brighton & Hove Albion are ready to pay €5m for the defender, who would welcome a move to the Premier League.
He now wants to focus on the World Cup with Austria, while TMW claims there will be more updates in the coming days.
Sky journalist Dennis Bayer also took to X to share a short but an important update. He claims The Amex club are in advanced negotiations with the 27-year-old regarding personal terms.
Bayer adds there’s also no clarity on the contract duration, and it’s likely to be at least until 2029. If the two parties reach an agreement, there’s expectation Svoboda will carry out a medical with Brighton after the World Cup.
Austria’s World Cup fixtures and standings
Ralf Rangnick’s men started the campaign with a 3-0 win over Jordan earlier this week. They are second in Group J, level on points with leaders Argentina.
Austria’s remaining group stage fixtures are as follows:
- V Argentina on June 22nd
- v Algeria on June 28th [UK time]
Even if Austria fail to make it to the next round, Brighton & Hove Albion have to wait because Michael Svoboda’s €5m clause is only valid from July.
🇦🇹 Michael Svoboda | Brighton intend to trigger defender’s clause ➡️ Now need to agree personal terms https://t.co/PbOubvA61o #bhafc
— Sport Witness (@Sport_Witness) June 18, 2026
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