Southampton midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has been named as a priority signing for Tottenham this summer by Football Insider, but Everton should look to steal a march.
The Toffees, as well as Arsenal, were said to be keen on signing the Denmark international in January, although nothing came to fruition for either side.
Football Insider now claim that Hojbjerg could be set for a summer exit from St Mary’s though, having refused to discuss a contract extension with Saints, while he has also hired super-agent Pini Zahavi, presumably to help facilitate his exit.
Everton should elect to reignite interest in the 24-year old this summer, with The Athletic reporting that Carlo Ancelotti wants to add another midfielder during the summer transfer window.
Fabian Delph, Morgan Schneiderlin and Gylfi Sigurdsson have all failed to consistently impress for the Blues this season, and with JP Gbamin having missed almost the entirety of this campaign, Ancelotti could seek experience to line up alongside Andre Gomes next season.
Having won the Champions League with Bayern Munich, while he has played over 100 times for Southampton since swapping Bavaria for the English South Coast, Hojbjerg has collated his fair share of first team experience at the top level.
According to WhoScored’s average match rating over the course of the season so far, the Dane also ranks above all of Everton’s midfielders.
Hojbjerg has been valued at 6.83, while Everton’s midfielders pale in comparison, with Gylfi Sigurdsson (6.73), Fabian Delph (6.49), Tom Davies (6.48), Morgan Schneiderlin (6.42) and Andre Gomes (6.39) all ranking lower.
Having played an instrumental role in turning Southampton’s season around, with relegation looking like an inevitability earlier in the season after they lost 9-0 to Leicester, Hojbjerg could bring a degree of stability to Everton’s squad.
Hojbjerg has just 18 months remaining of his contract with Southampton, and with Arsenal and Spurs also said to be keen, the Toffees should move fast if they wish to sign the Danish star.
