As reported by VI, Brighton look set to be forced to sell highly rated Dutch defender Jan Paul van Hecke this summer. The defenders’ contract will expire at the end of the 2026/2027 season and the 25-year-old has already indicated that he is unlikely to sign a new deal with Brighton. As a result, the Sussex based side will likely have to sell him this summer. Clubs like Chelsea and Newcastle United are said to be interested, with the former likely being the winner given they have shopped at Brighton plenty of times in the past few seasons.
Any sale of van Hecke will also benefit struggling NAC Breda, with the club set to earn 7.5% of anything Brighton sell the defender for. It was the Dutch side that developed the defender as a youngster before selling him to Brighton back in 2020. Van Hecke only made 16 appearances for NAC Breda as a youngster and was loaned back to the Eredivisie by Brighton almost immediately after they acquired him. Van Hecke spent the season with SC Heerenveen, before a spell with Blackburn Rovers during the 2021/2022 season.
The defender broke into the Brighton first time during the 2022/2023 season and has gone on to make 125 appearances for the club. Over the past three seasons he has been a key player in Brighton’s Premier League success.
Brighton will be hoping that van Hecke has a successful World Cup with the Dutch national team, as this could boost his sell on value significantly. Brighton head coach Fabian Hürzeler also recently backed Mats Wieffer to make it into the Dutch squad for the upcoming World Cup.
Fellow Premier League based Dutch player Justin Kluivert is also hoping to impress Ronald Koeman in the next few weeks to earn himself a spot on the plane.
GBeNeFN | Ben Jackson
