Brighton & Hove Albion have agreed to sign Luka Vuskovic from Tottenham Hotspur in a deal worth up to £50million. The 19-year-old centre-back will not move immediately, because he is with Croatia at the World Cup and will undergo a medical after that campaign ends.
Luka Vuskovic and Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham will receive an initial £46m, with add-ons taking the total to £50m. They will also keep a 20 per cent sell-on clause and matching rights for any future sale, which leaves Spurs tied to his value even after the move goes through.
The deal brings an end to a wait that began in September 2023, when Vuskovic agreed to join Tottenham from Hajduk Split for £12m. That move did not become official until he turned 18, and he still has five years left on his Tottenham deal.
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Vuskovic the Brighton fit
Brighton already moved once this week to strengthen the back line, completing a deal for Pascal Struijk from Leeds. Vuskovic has so far been most comfortable in a back-three, while Fabian Hurzeler's Brighton almost exclusively played with a back-four last season.
That gives the transfer a clear test from the start. Brighton are paying for a 19-year-old who has not yet appeared for Spurs, while Tottenham are cashing in on a player they felt they could not give the first-team minutes he wanted. Vuskovic made 30 appearances in all competitions for Hamburg last season and scored six goals, which is the main evidence behind the fee.
His timing is unusual, too. Croatia play Portugal on Wednesday, and Brighton must wait until after Croatia's World Cup campaign is over before the medical can happen. For both clubs, the deal is already set; the only remaining step is getting him through the final checks and into Brighton's squad.
