Tottenham Hotspur could be prepared to lose current midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg this summer as Serie A side Roma remain interested in securing his services, following a failed attempt at luring the player to the club last summer.
Current manager Jose Mourinho attempted to bring the Denmark international to Italy last year and will look to complete a deal once again at the end of the current season, having already signed him for Spurs from Southampton in August 2020.
That is according to the print edition of Gazetta Dello Sport (page 22, March 25), who also claim Spurs could be willing to let him leave should their valuation of the player be met.
Hojbjerg featured in every single one of Tottenham ’s 38 Premier League games under Mourinho last season and the Portuguese manager was often full of praise for the Dane, who became his first signing at the club.
However, the 26-year-old’s form has dipped at times this season as he has struggled for consistency, yet he has still managed 39 appearances across all competitions and has seen an upturn in performances in recent weeks.
With an injury to Oliver Skipp keeping him out of the side, Hojbjerg has enjoyed a reasonably successful period in which he has linked up well with January transfer window signing Rodrigo Bentancur, with the pair playing alongside each other in a midfield two under Antonio Conte.
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But there are doubts over the former Bayern Munich man’s involvement in the side once Skipp returns from injury, and whether Spurs may opt for another midfield signing this summer, and the north London club are willing to let him leave if Roma meet their asking price.
And that is thought to be around the €40m (£33.3m) mark, which is an acceptable fee for a player they initially signed for half the price before add-ons, although it remains to be seen whether the Italians would be willing to match that price.
Yet with Mourinho supposedly ‘desperate’ to sign his former player, according to a report by Il Messaggero, it can be assumed that they may be able to stump up the funds in order to sign one of their top targets, who their current manager has been full of praise for in the past.
Following a 2-0 victory over Arsenal in December 2020, in which Spurs remained top of the Premier League with the north London derby win, Mourinho said of Hojbjerg: “Pierre is, first of all, very intelligent. He reads the game very well. He’s going to be a coach one day, for sure.
“Physically he’s very, very strong and technically he’s much better than people think. Because sometimes people think the guy that is good technically is the guy that does the backheel. The guy that is good technically is the guy that does something wonderful.
"But these are not my words. These are words from coaches of 30, 40 years ago. Simplicity is genius. And the guy is so simple in everything he does with the ball. And I think he’s a phenomenal player.”
