Euro Paper Talk: Man Utd looking to steal Tottenham star as £26m price tag revealed; agent tips Spurs for prolific striker move
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is a target for Man Utd in January
Manchester United have stepped up their bid to raid Premier League rivals Tottenham for a wantaway midfielder, while Spurs are expected to be in the mix to sign a prolific striker in January, according to the player’s agent – all in Friday’s Euro Paper Talk.
TEN HAG PLOTS TOTTENHAM MIDFIELD RAID
Manchester United have reportedly ramped up their pursuit of Tottenham midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg after learning that the Dane will cost them £26million.
The 28-year-old is no longer first-choice in north London, with Ange Postecoglou preferring the midfield tandem of Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr instead in the early stages of the new campaign.
Spurs are also set to welcome back injured star Rodrigo Bentancur over the next four to six weeks, which will leave Hojbjerg even further down the pecking order.
The Denmark international looked almost certain to be on his way in the summer, with Atletico Madrid and then Fulham trying to strike a deal. However, nothing materialised and Hojbjerg has since been used in a cameo role by Postecoglou.
As for United, they eventually brought in Sofyan Amrabat after a protracted chase for the Moroccan, but he is only on loan from Fiorentina.
And it appears, as reported by Corriere dello Sport, that United are fighting with new suitors Juventus for the experienced defensive midfielder.
READ MORE: The 10 most valuable players at Manchester United: Fernandes takes second spot, Hojlund on the rise
Tottenham name their price for Hojbjerg
The report adds that Spurs are not prepared to loan out Hojbjerg out and will instead demand £26 million to let him go.
A move in January is now almost certain to happen, although Postecoglou will be wary of leaving himself short on numbers depending on the fitness of his other midfielders.
The Australian has to reintegrate Eric Dier into his plans after offloading Davinson Sanchez to Turkey and he wants to make sure his squad remains strong going forward.
In terms of United’s chase, that could be down to fitness concerns over Amrabat, whose only start so far came at left-back in the Carabao Cup win over Crystal Palace.
Adding Hojbjerg would certainly give Erik ten Hag an experienced head to call on and someone who could provide a strong base alongside Casemiro to build from.
It just remains to be seen whether Tottenham are prepared to deal with Old Trafford transfer chiefs.
AGENT MAKES TOTTENHAM STRIKER CLAIM
Santiago Gimenez’s agent has told Feyenoord bosses to ‘watch out’ for interest from Premier League clubs, with Tottenham leading the chase for the prolific striker. (MilanWeb)
Everton and Brentford are in the picture for TSG Hoffenheim striker Maximilian Beier. (Bild)
Manchester United and Chelsea scouts have recently tracked Flamengo attacking midfielder Lorran. (Fabrizio Romano)
Juventus have a lack of goals from their midfield and are interested in making a move for Napoli target Teun Koopmeiners. (Calciomercato)
Zinedine Zidane has agreed in principle to become the manager of Marseille if the club is sold to Saudi Arabia. (France Blue Provence)
Manchester United are locked in a race with Barcelona to sign 18-year-old Royal Antwerp star Arthur Vermeeren. (Mundo Deportivo)
WEST HAM IN MIX TO SIGN UDINESE ACE
West Ham, Napoli, Juventus and clubs from the Bundesliga are all keeping an eye on Udinese midfielder Lazar Samardzic. (Calciomercato)
Lazar Samardzic represents Udinese in Serie A game against Juventus
Juventus are looking at Shakhtar Donetsk’s 21-year-old attacking midfielder Heorhiy Sudakov to fill left by Angel Di Maria. (La Gazzetta dello Sport)
Bournemouth showed keen interest in signing Galatasaray’s Sacha Boey in the last window but a €12m deal was rejected by the Turkish giants. (Various)
Monza have completed a deal to bring in free agent Papu Gomez, who has been without a club since leaving Sevilla. (Sky Sports Italia)
