Spurs transfer news: Roberto De Zerbi targets 'triple raid' on former club as part of summer rebuild

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Roberto De Zerbi is allegedly planning a triple raid on former club Brighton & Hove Albion.

De Zerbi completed an against-the-odds survival job with Spurs on Sunday as they earned the 1-0 victory over Everton that ensured that they finished in 17th place in the Premier League table.

Rather than being relegated to the Championship, the North Londoners can now look forward with optimism under a boss who accumulated 11 points from seven top-flight fixtures.

There will now be curiosity as to who De Zerbi and Spurs look to sign, with reports having already indicated that Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson could arrive on a free transfer.

Nevertheless, as per The Independent, the Italian is targeting three players who have just helped Brighton secure Conference League football for 2026-27.

Which Brighton players could move to Spurs?

The report alleges that Bart Verbruggen, Jan Paul van Hecke and Carlos Baleba are the three players who are currently under consideration.

Goalkeeper Verbruggen has already been linked with the likes of Liverpool and other top European teams, and could plausibly move to a higher-profile club during the summer transfer window.

Centre-back Van Hecke is one of Brighton's key players, but the Netherlands international has just over 12 months remaining on his contract.

Although Carlos Baleba's stock arguably dropped last season, it was only last year when the midfielder was being linked with an £80m+ transfer to Manchester United.

That said, despite 23 starts in the Premier League during 2026-27, his eight substitute outings emphasise that he is not a certain starter under Fabian Hurzeler.

Which Brighton player do Spurs need the most?

The performances of Antonin Kinsky during the run-in suggest that Spurs do not necessarily have to go all-out to acquire a new goalkeeper.

Meanwhile, central-midfield is one of the areas where they are well-stocked, and there are already several players at the club who are of similar profiles to Baleba.

However, acquiring Van Hecke would make a lot of sense, the 25-year-old having developed into a 10-cap Netherlands international through his time at Brighton.

Not only would Van Hecke bring a freshness to Spurs' backline, the fact that he has already racked up 106 appearances in the Premier League would bring some much-needed know-how to the backline when younger players such as Ashley Phillips and Luka Vuskovic could be contesting for the same position.