Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou is reportedly willing to part ways with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in order to secure one of his top targets in the January transfer window. Reports suggest the north London club are prepared to listen to offers for the central midfielder in January as Postecoglou looks to continue his pursuit of Champions League football and potentially a title challenge in the second half of the season.
Hojbjerg was a key member of the squad last season under Antonio Conte before the Italian was sacked. Even then, interim boss Ryan Mason leaned on the Dane to lead the side through a tumultuous period after Conte’s departure.
The 28-year-old only missed five games since joining the club in 2020 in a £3million deal which included Kyle Walker-Peters joining Southampton in part-exchange. But he could be set to leave the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the coming months.
According to talkSPORT, Postecoglou ‘would be willing to part ways’ with Hojbjerg if it means funding a deal to sign his top target in January.
And that could force Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United to move quickly as they compete with Spurs in the transfer market.
The report claims that Fluminense midfielder Andre Trinidade, who was part of the Brazilian club’s recent Copa Libertadores triumph against Boca Juniors, is also wanted by Spurs after being chased by Arsenal and Liverpool since the summer.
Manchester United appear to have entered the race for his signature as they see the 22-year-old as a replacement for Casemiro, who has been linked with a move away from the club just 18 months after his £70million move from Real Madrid.
Andre is expected to leave his club in January, with the Brazilian side powerless to resist offers in the region of £30m for their prized asset.
Conveniently, the fee is similar to the amount that Spurs were willing to let Hojbjerg leave for in the summer as Atletico Madrid and Juventus were linked with the former Bayern Munich trainee.
He has fallen down the pecking order behind Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma, and the return of Rodrigo Bentancur could demote him even further.
Hojbjerg was forced to deputise at centre-back in the heavy 4-1 defeat to Chelsea and it seems unlikely that he will continue playing there, with Cristian Romero back from suspension in the near future.
Despite his lack of game time this season, Postecoglou recently hailed his reliable midfielder, saying: “It is obvious someone that has played regularly would have wanted to play more but ultimately our performances have been strong and he has had to bide his time.
“He has also been very important in a lot of the games that we’ve won late or had to shore up late. He has been one of the people who has helped us and it is not like he hasn’t contributed at all. He’s been a really important part for us.”
