What is going on with these Vuskovic and van Hecke transfer deals?

Ben Jacobs has the breaking news that Tottenham have turned down Brighton’s opening bid for Luka Vuskovic.

In the furore of screaming [insert name of LinkedIn’s Chump Of The Month] out!! It might always be the case that Paul Barber was perfectly within his rights to place a bid, and indeed, tell his old mate David Ornstein that he had placed a bid for a Spurs player.

Indeed, what larks, if that player would show Brighton fans imagination, and show Tottenham fans how to lose their minds, ever so quickly.

What grates on me in the whole business is that young Luka is reported to be keen to visit the seaside. Perhaps he didn’t get the memo that the mighty Spurs were briefly ‘Champions of Europe’ in between almost getting relegated twice.

Spurs value the boy at £60m+ and are not inclined to sell cheaply. They signed him from Hajduk Split for ~£12m previously. The initial bid has been turned down, but negotiations continue.

The 19-year-old shone on loan at Hamburg last season and is a Croatia international. He’s seen as one of Europe’s top young defenders.

Vušković is keen on joining Brighton. He wants regular first-team football (unlikely at Spurs in the short term) and has a good relationship with Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler from his time in Germany.

Luka reportedly has a verbal agreement with the Seagulls and has turned down other clubs. As Luka Modrić will tell you, gentlemen’s agreements aren’t worth a great deal on the open market.

Only a child would fail to suspect that there might be something in this potential transfer and that of Jan Paul van Hecke supposedly being set to go the other way.

The Evening Standard says that so far, two Tottenham bids have been declined for the Dutchman.

Both players just happening to have been valued at £70 million feels too coincidental to be believed.