Tottenham enter chase for Serie A ‘all-rounder’ wanted by West Ham, Brighton as contract dilemma alerts Paratici
Tottenham have reportedly joined three other Premier League clubs in hunting Lecce captain Morten Hjulmand and his contract situation means he could be signed for a cut-price fee this summer.
Hjulmand is a product of the Copenhagen academy. He moved to Austrian side Admira Wacker in July 2018 and went on to make 74 appearances for them. He got an opportunity to impress at a higher level when Serie A side Lecce snapped him up two years ago.
Hjulmand, who operates in central midfield, has since become one of Lecce’s most important stars and is now their skipper.
The 23-year-old appears destined for a move to a bigger club this summer, however. His Lecce contract expires in June 2024 and he is unlikely to agree fresh terms. As such, Lecce must cash in this summer while they can still receive some money for him.
Reports in Italy have claimed Southampton made a €13million (£11.4m) offer for Hjulmand in the January transfer window. But this was knocked back as it did not meet Lecce’s €20m (£17.7m) asking price. Lecce would normally hold out for more money when selling their talisman, but they cannot do so due to his contract running down.
Southampton remain interested in the Dane, but they may struggle to sign him as the number of potential suitors is rising. On Tuesday, it emerged that Brighton and West Ham also hope to snare Hjulmand.
And now the biggest threat to Southampton is Tottenham. As per Italian source Calciomercato, Tottenham director of football Fabio Paratici has set his sights on Hjulmand.
Paratici rates the Serie A enforcer highly and believes he could be a good signing for Spurs. The chief is also attracted by Hjulmand’s relatively low price tag.
Tottenham scout impressive midfielder
It is claimed Spurs have sent scouts to watch Hjulmand in action. And these officials have sent positive reports back to north London, setting up a potential summer move.
Hjulmand is described by Calciomercato as an ‘all-rounder’ who is great at leading his team. It sounds like he is a similar player to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in that sense.
Antonio Conte could probably do with a couple more big voices being in his dressing room and therefore a swoop for Hjulmand makes sense.
Interest in his signature also comes from Lecce’s Italian rivals Roma and Napoli, plus German outfit Borussia Dortmund. With so many clubs hoping to land Hjulmand, he is apparently ready to ‘take off’ this summer.
The spending power of the Premier League means the likes of Spurs, West Ham and Southampton have a better chance of getting Hjulmand than his suitors in mainland Europe. But that is not a guarantee, so this is definitely a transfer race to keep an eye on as we get closer to the summer window.
Meanwhile, Spurs have reportedly agreed to sign a player from the Turkish Super Lig on a free transfer this summer.
