Southampton chief executive, Martin Semmens, has admitted that the club may have no choice but to let Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg leave the South Coast this summer if someone is prepared to pay their asking price.
Hojbjerg has been one of Southampton’s best performers over the last few years and has come into his own since the arrival of Ralph Hasenhuttl at St Mary’s.
The midfielder, who is said to be one of Tottenham’s primary transfer targets this summer, is now into the final year of his contract with Southampton and has reportedly rejected multiple extension offers from the club (Football Insider).
The Denmark international has made no secret of his ambition to play at a higher level in England and to one day win the Premier League (Sport 1).
Hasenhuttl hinted recently that the Saints may have to sell the 24-year-old this summer if they do not wish to lose him on a free transfer in 2021 (BBC Solent Sport).
Semmens has echoed the Austrian’s sentiment and admitted that Hojbjerg has been honest with the club about his ambitions.
The Southampton chief told BBC Solent Sport (as relayed by Football.London) “It’s about having the characters around you. He is that kind of character that under any circumstance he’ll give 100% on the pitch.
“He’s fully committed to getting through this season and winning those nine games. When it comes to the transfer window, it’s a strange time.
“Let’s be clear about Pierre, he’s been absolutely upfront with us and everybody publicly that he sees himself at the very highest level of football.
“He wants to win the league, he wants to win the Champions League either with us or somebody else and at some point he’s going to either have to drive us to that level or move somewhere else to do it.
“If there’s a club out there that can win the Champions League and they think Pierre can improve their team, if they can pay for him then, in the end, we have to let him go.”
Spurs Web Opinion
Hojbjerg seems like a perfect fit for Spurs given the fact that he has a considerable amount of Premier League experience under his belt and would not be too expensive due to his contract situation. He will be a safe option to go for as opposed to someone like Gerson who has a higher ceiling but also comes with more risk.
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