Tottenham Hotspur
Premier League • England
Raid for ‘perfect’ Tottenham star ‘activated’, as Lyon plot double coup after signing ex-Man Utd and Chelsea midfielder
Lyon have confirmed the signing of a former Manchester United and Chelsea midfielder, though reports claim they hope to follow that up with a raid on Tottenham for a ‘perfect’ star.
Lyon are in the midst of a truly troubling campaign that sees the French giant sitting inside the relegation zone at present.
Lyon sit 16th out of 18 in Ligue 1 and have played a game more than those around them. With the threat of relegation becoming very real, the club are determined to spend their way out of trouble in the winter window.
To that end, Lyon confirmed the arrival of former Man Utd and Chelsea midfielder, Nemanja Matic, on Saturday morning.
Matic was on the books at Stamford Bridge in two separate spells before moving to Old Trafford in 2017. The Serbian veteran, now 35, reunited with Jose Mourinho at Roma in the summer of 2022 before joining Rennes ahead of the current campaign.
However, on the back of a series of commanding displays at Rennes, Lyon have swooped and signed Matic for €2.6m.
The holding midfielder has signed a two-and-a-half year contract, with the news confirmed on Lyon’s official website.
Hojbjerg to follow Matic into Lyon?
However, despite landing Matic, chief FootMercato reporter, Sebastien Denis, claims another central midfielder is wanted.
Taking to X, Denis revealed Lyon have ‘activated’ a move to sign Spurs outcast, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
The Denmark international, 28, is labelled the ‘perfect’ potential signing for Lyon for numerous reasons.
Firstly, he’s down the pecking order at Tottenham, with Ange Postecoglou favouring Pape Sarr, Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur in the engine room.
Secondly, Hojbjerg is desperate to play regularly in order to cement his place in Denmark’s midfield ahead of Euro 2024.
Finally, Hojbjerg reportedly speaks fluent French and the language barrier upon joining Lyon would not be a factor.
Denis admitted the high price Spurs will command for Hojbjerg will undoubtedly pose a problem for Lyon. Nonetheless, they do seem determined to at least try and pull off the move.
The Telegraph recently claimed Hojbjerg was on Napoli’s radar too, though they’re yet to formalise their interest.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein suggested Tottenham are open to severing ties with Hojbjerg before the February 1 deadline. Doing so could quickly lead to a high profile signing of their own.
Spurs retain ambitions of landing Ange Postecoglou’s No 1 midfield target, Conor Gallagher. However, funding such a move would require a player sale or two and that’s where Hojbjerg comes in.
Gallagher is understood to be valued around the £50m mark by Chelsea. Selling Hojbjerg – who’s reportedly valued around the £20m mark – would chip away at the required fee.
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