Southampton: Spurs are not giving up on Hojbjerg transfer yet

Spurs are reportedly still confident that they will be signing Southampton midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg before the beginning of next season.

The Telegraph state that those inside the North London club believe that Hojbjerg will choose them over Everton despite reports that the Toffees agreed a fee with Saints and terms with the player yesterday.

The fee being quoted for this move is £25m but it remains to be seen whether Saints can squeeze a little more out of Spurs given Everton’s interest.

Hojbjerg is almost certain to leave St Mary’s this summer with his contract now running into its final year.

Saints are understandably keen to sell to avoid losing the Denmark international for free next summer and £25m or more would have to be seen as good business.

Looking at the situation, there are signs that Saints have played it perfectly.

Many journalists close to St Mary’s were reporting an agreed fee with Everton yesterday, although it was unclear whether this was the case from reporters close to the Toffees.

More from Saints Marching

• Grading the Southampton Transfer Window Part 2: Arrivals
• Grading the Southampton Transfer Window Part 1: Departures
• It’s time to talk about Gavin Bazunu
• Rain clouds on the horizon? Southampton beat Plymouth Argyle
• A lament for Southampton legend James Ward-Prowse

This suggests that Saints are using Everton’s interest as a bargaining chip – potentially increasing the fee that they receive if it forces Spurs into quick action.

The Telegraph’s report does confirm that Everton also expect Hojbjerg to choose Spurs over them too and could even withdraw their interest if they do not receive positive signs in the near future.

From a Saints point of view, Hojbjerg has been an important and often underrated presence in their team in recent years.

He took a while to claim a consistent place in starting line-ups but soon became a mainstay and eventually claimed the captain’s armband after some commanding performances in midfield.

However, Ralph Hasenhuttl has chosen to keep the 24-year-old on the substitutes bench for most of the games since the season’s restart last month and its fair to say that Saints have not missed him.

James Ward-Prowse has continued to do well and has stepped up to be skipper, whilst Oriol Romeu has come in to prove his worth too.

Saints will surely be looking for a replacement for Hojbjerg but could have a ready made one in Harrison Reed who has enjoyed another impressive campaign on loan in the Championship.