{"id":400621,"date":"2025-09-05T18:19:29","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T18:19:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/400621\/"},"modified":"2025-09-05T18:19:29","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T18:19:29","slug":"liverpool-set-to-battle-newcastle-united-in-the-race-to-sign-25-year-old-brighton-star","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/400621\/","title":{"rendered":"Liverpool set to battle Newcastle United in the race to sign 25-year-old Brighton star"},"content":{"rendered":"

Focus on defensive options<\/p>\n

Liverpool\u2019s pursuit of defensive reinforcements continues to dominate discussion, with TeamTalk <\/a>reporting that Jan Paul van Hecke has emerged as a name to watch. The Brighton defender, now into the final two years of his contract, has drawn attention from Liverpool, Tottenham and Newcastle United. His situation could come to a head by 2026, with the Seagulls already aware of the risk of losing another asset.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAlbion have already made initial advances to keep him but know he has high ambitions and wants to start pushing himself towards Champions League football,\u201d the report outlined.<\/p>\n

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Liverpool\u2019s admiration stems from both potential and necessity. After missing out on Marc Guehi on deadline day, attention has shifted to viable alternatives. TeamTalk stated that \u201cLiverpool \u2013 they have viewed him as having the potential to step up into their set-up, and now have fresh considerations to make in defence after failing to sign Marc Guehi.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\nRising profile of Van Hecke<\/p>\n

The 25-year-old has been gradually building his reputation at Brighton, stepping up in key moments and showing a consistency that appeals to bigger clubs. His awareness, aerial ability and growing composure in possession suggest he could slot into a top-six side.<\/p>\n

Van Hecke, however, is not short of options. Tottenham remain interested, while Newcastle are considering defensive upgrades in the coming year. Interest is also understood to exist from continental clubs, further complicating Brighton\u2019s chances of tying him down to a new deal.<\/p>\n

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\nContract talks and Brighton\u2019s stance<\/p>\n

Albion\u2019s motivation is clear. They want him signed to a new deal before speculation spirals further. Yet as TeamTalk reported, \u201cif he keeps the situation open into the New Year, then sources admit there is a possibility of a 2026 transfer.\u201d Brighton\u2019s recruitment model is already stretched, with Carlos Baleba another name attracting interest, and the fear of a double blow is growing.<\/p>\n

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\nGuehi still on Liverpool radar<\/p>\n

Liverpool have not given up on Guehi either. \u201cIt\u2019s been reported that the Reds will return for him in January to stave off competition from other clubs,\u201d TeamTalk added. Encouragingly, Palace are expected to drop their valuation by \u00a310 million from the summer figure, giving Liverpool renewed confidence.<\/p>\n

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Whether it is Guehi or Van Hecke, the message is clear. Liverpool are prioritising central defensive depth, building a pathway for both the present and future.<\/p>\n

Our View \u2013 EPL Index Analysis<\/p>\n

The idea of Van Hecke joining feels more like a back-up plan than a decisive move, and supporters know too well how those situations can end. Brighton have made careers out of selling players for big sums, and while Van Hecke has shown promise, he is not yet at the level of a proven Champions League defender.<\/p>\n

The mention that \u201cLiverpool have viewed him as having the potential to step up\u201d only raises further questions. Potential does not always translate to performance at Anfield, and the gap between Brighton and Liverpool is considerable. With Tottenham, Newcastle and others circling, it is not hard to imagine his price inflating quickly, leaving Liverpool in the same dilemma they faced with Guehi.<\/p>\n

As for Guehi, the optimism around a January return has to be tempered. Palace have every right to stand firm, and supporters will remember other drawn-out transfer sagas that ultimately fizzled. It is encouraging to hear a possible \u00a310 million reduction, but until a deal is done, many fans will remain doubtful.<\/p>\n

The squad clearly needs defensive additions, yet there is a sense of hesitation in how Liverpool are approaching it. Rather than dictating the market, they appear to be reacting to it. For fans, the concern is simple, that this lack of conviction could prove costly when it matters most.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Focus on defensive options Liverpool\u2019s pursuit of defensive reinforcements continues to dominate discussion, with TeamTalk reporting that Jan…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":400622,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8815],"tags":[138253,138254,748,393,131839,1123,4884,179,138255,131370,123786,88871,138256,138257,138258,138259,10309,138260,1127,128362,138261,97238,29275,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-400621","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-liverpool","8":"tag-brighton-contract-situation","9":"tag-brighton-van-hecke-future","10":"tag-britain","11":"tag-england","12":"tag-epl-index-analysis","13":"tag-featured","14":"tag-great-britain","15":"tag-liverpool","16":"tag-liverpool-brighton-interest","17":"tag-liverpool-centre-back-options","18":"tag-liverpool-defensive-reinforcements","19":"tag-liverpool-defensive-targets","20":"tag-liverpool-guehi-pursuit","21":"tag-liverpool-january-window","22":"tag-liverpool-long-term-planning","23":"tag-liverpool-premier-league-rivals","24":"tag-liverpool-squad-rebuild","25":"tag-liverpool-teamtalk-report","26":"tag-liverpool-transfer-news","27":"tag-liverpool-transfer-saga","28":"tag-liverpool-van-hecke-interest","29":"tag-liverpool-vs-newcastle","30":"tag-liverpool-vs-tottenham","31":"tag-uk","32":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400621","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=400621"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/400621\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/400622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=400621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=400621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=400621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}