Mourinho alerted as Tottenham learn £35m midfield target may be sold

Jose Mourinho Tottenham TEAMtalk

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has hinted that Tottenham and Everton midfield target Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg could be sold this summer.

The Austrian was speaking to BBC Radio Solent, as relayed by the Daily Echo, about the Danish international’s future when he hinted a sale would be inevitable – should Hojbjerg not extend his current contract at St Mary’s, which expires in 12 months time.

He also hinted that any refusal to sign a new deal could impact Hojbjerg’s standing as captain of the Premier League club.

“It’s not good for him and I don’t think the situation would be good for him,” Saints’ boss told BBC Radio Solent.

“As a captain, you cannot lead a team without extending your contract. This is always difficult.

“We must look at what we have. I think we should avoid letting players go without a transfer fee. This is what we should avoid.

“It’s not good to go into the last year of your contract – especially as a young player with a big future.

“This is not the ideal situation, but we have opportunities to handle it and we will have talks with other players and find a decision.”

Hojbjerg has been a virtual ever-present in Southampton’s midfield this season, playing in 28 of their 29 Premier League matches.

And with Tottenham lacking a true defensive midfielder, following the departures of Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama and Eric Dier’s struggles for form, Jose Mourinho is known to be in the market for a new player to sit in from of his back four.

Sky Sports had suggested that the north London club were preparing a potential £35 million offer for the 24-year-old, although Toffees boss Carlo Ancelotti is also said to be in the hunt for the player.

One thing is for certain, it would appear that Hojbjerg is facing a make or break next couple of months on the south coast – with either a lucrative new deal in the pipeline or a big-money exit in the offing.

 

Meanwhile, Arsenal and Tottenham do not consider Bournemouth winger Ryan Fraser to be a priority target this summer, according to a report.

Fraser was close to moving to Arsenal at the end of last season after finishing second in the Premier League’s assist charts behind Eden Hazard.

The Scotland international admitted that the speculation affected him but there has been no let up in the rumours, with his contract set to expire in the coming months.

Fraser is expected to leave at the end of the season and earlier reports suggested that both London clubs were keen on a move. Read more…