Tottenham Hotspur have given up on Luka Vušković.
Sure, they've made plenty of money doing so, but seeing the teenager, widely regarded as one of the most exciting prospects at his position on the continent, never play a competitive game for the club is bitterly disappointing.
Spurs worked wonders to sign the burgeoning Croat in 2023, beating out competition from Europe's elite. Vušković didn't officially join the club until he turned 18 last year, subsequently starring in Thomas Frank's one and only pre-season.
However, with Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven unlikely to cede minutes when fit and available, Vušković was sent to Hamburg on loan, where he quickly blossomed into a fan favourite and deservedly made Zlatko Dalić's World Cup squad.
There has been incessant speculation over his future, with Spurs seemingly having no idea what to do with an asset Roberto De Zerbi didn't regard as immediately important. So, the club has decided to cash in now.
Tottenham are once again trusting De Zerbi with Vuskovic sale
Vušković's stock is high after an excellent season in the Bundesliga. The 19-year-old has attracted interest from the likes of Bayern Munich and Barcelona, but it's a lower-key B that's won the race for his services.
With the defender supposedly making it clear that he doesn't plan on playing for Spurs, Brighton & Hove Albion's latest bid for Vušković has been accepted.
Fabrizio Romano first broke the news on Wednesday afternoon, reporting that a £50m package has been agreed. Spurs also have a 20% sell-on clause.
As I've said, it's such a shame that Vušković never got the chance to impress in N17, with the vast majority of us following his career via social media snippets. The decision to sell is another example of the club completely backing De Zerbi, who didn't regard the mighty defensive talent as part of his short-term plans.
Vušković understandably wants to be part of something right now, and Brighton don't tend to make mistakes in the transfer market, which is a worry. However, there's clearly something about Vušković that De Zerbi hasn't taken to. Perhaps it's the lack of athleticism, or maybe it's an ego thing.
He's imperfect, that's for sure, and we can't deny that banking such a healthy profit on a player who didn't play a single minute for us is great business. The only is, how much could Vušković be worth in 12 months time? Who will Brighton be demanding £120m from?
Now, we can only hope his flaws are exacerbated on the highest level, and the club doesn't pay for its short-term thinking.
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