Saudi-backed Newcastle United have set their sights on Tottenham Hotspur midfielder, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
The Danish midfielder has been at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium since 2020 after signing from Southampton, where he spent four years in his first stint in England.
The former Bayern Munich midfielder has made a name for himself in England as a hard-tackling midfielder and had attracted interest from a few other clubs before choosing to move to Tottenham in 2020.
He has been a staple of Jose Mourinho’s, Nuno Espirito Santo’s and now Antonio Conte’s Spurs sides and at just 26, still has a lot to offer.
Newcastle have identified these qualities and are seeking to add the midfielder to their squad as they look to rebuild their club into a force in England and Europe using their huge investment from their new billionaire owners.
Newcastle have shown sides of a serious club after fighting a successful relegation battle that has seen them struggle for most of the season. Since the turn of the new year, they have gone from the bottom three to ninth on the table after winning 32 of the 45 points they have competed for in that time.
It is understood that Newcastle boss Eddie Howe has personally requested the midfielder be enticed to St. James’ Park next season to help his midfield become stronger in possession. It is also understood that Spurs boss Conte is looking to shake up his midfield in the summer and that Hojbjerg could be moved on.
The Spurs manager had previously praised Hojbjerg for doing a “fantastic job” and the Dane spoke highly of the Italian in a recent interview, while betraying no desire to move elsewhere in the summer.
Hojbjerg is recorded as saying about Conte and Spurs: “Antonio is a special coach, with a special way of doing things, with a very high level of performing. There is always a time of adaptation, a time of understanding the sports side and also the personal side, and everything is coming together well.
“It’s important now to go with the flow and see how far we can take it because the team is evolving very positively. That creates a platform where we can perform at a really very high level. We’re climbing the ladder, so it’s difficult to stop and look back down, we have to keep going and stay focused on the next challenge ahead.
“That’s how I think to work the best, not to draw too many conclusions, try to maintain a high level of focus and performance, be consistent in your behaviour and to enjoy the process because eventually, this is what makes you better.”
Spurs as a club value the Dane and could keep him if Conte ends up leaving at the end of the season, following reports that the Italian tactician presented himself as a candidate to replace Mauricio Pochettino at Paris Saint-Germain.
Hojbjerg is also a target of AS Roma’s as former Spurs boss Mourinho, who was responsible for signing the 26-year-old for the North London in, wants to reunite with him.
Roma had failed in a bid to sign the former Southampton midfielder in the summer but they still hold hopes of enticing him to the Stadio Olimpico.
It remains to be seen how Newcastle will approach the Dane but their offer is sure to be financially lucrative enough to turn his head.
