Brighton have already had at least two bids rejected for Luka Vušković, but the Tottenham defender's own words point in the same direction. He says he wants a club that wants him and gives him minutes, while Tottenham still have him waiting for a first competitive appearance. Last season's loan at Bundesliga club Hamburg only sharpened the issue.

Vuskovic's view on his next move

"For now, I'm focused only on the World Cup. My goal next season is to play for a club that wants me and where I will play. We'll see what happens in the coming days and weeks," Vuskovic told standard.co.uk.

Sky Sports News reporter Michael Bridge put it more bluntly, saying: "Vuskovic wants to be a regular starter now but was not interested in another temporary move." That is the clearest part of the story. This is not about a short-term fix or another loan spell. It is about a permanent route to games.

The limited match rhythm backs that up. Vuskovic has 66 World Cup minutes, one World Cup appearance and a 6.0 rating from that outing. Croatia face Portugal in the World Cup round of 32 at 12am on Friday morning, but his longer-term focus seems set on the club level.

Brighton's pitch and Tottenham's logjam

Brighton finished 8th in the Premier League, which at least gives the move a sporting logic. Tottenham finished 17th, and Sky Sports says Spurs added Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke this summer, pushing Vuskovic further down the pecking order. It also says Spurs would have been his fifth choice if Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero stay.

That is where the Brighton interest becomes more than routine transfer noise. The club have made multiple bids, the player is talking about minutes, and Spurs' centre-back depth has not helped his case at all. Teamtalk has suggested the move is already effectively agreed, while other reporting still treats it as being worked on. The safest reading is that Brighton are pushing hard, and Vuskovic is clearly open to the right step.

What he does next should not be hard to read. He wants a club where he will play, Brighton want the defender, and Tottenham's path for him looks crowded.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →