Fulham have reportedly opened talks to sign Tottenham midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg as a potential replacement for Joao Palhinha.
According to Nizaar Kinsella, Fulham are interested in signing Tottenham enforcer Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. And the Londoners are already in talks about a possible move before the summer transfer window slams shut.
It is well-documented that the Cottagers have a real battle on their hands to keep Joao Palhinha at Craven Cottage, having rejected a £47 million bid from Bayern Munich for their key midfielder. Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel has made the Portugese international his No. 1 target in the final hours of the summer window.
Fulham have remained adamant that Palhinha is not for sale, with Marco Silva determined to keep him after already losing key striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, who left to join Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal earlier this month. The Cottagers slapped an overall package demand worth £80 million on Palhinha’s head when West Ham made a move to sign him earlier this summer.
However, reports in Germany have claimed personal terms have already been agreed in principle between the player and the Bundesliga champions. And a reported £60 million bid should be enough to tempt the West London club into a deal, with the 28-year-old keen on a move to Allianz Stadium.
Should Palhinha eventually move to Germany, it would leave limited time to find a replacement for a player who was crucial to the side’s successful first season back in the top flight last time out. He featured 35 times in the league as Fulham secured a top-half finish and almost broke their Premier League points record.
As such, the Cottagers have already started scouring for replacements, with Tottenham midfielder Hojbjerg one of several candidates approached, alongside widely reported targets such as AS Monaco’s Youssouf Fofana and Manchester United’s Scott McTominay.
The Tottenham star is reportedly open to leaving the club after falling down in the pecking order following a managerial change and shift in playing style from Ange Postecoglou. Fulham have been keeping tabs on Hojbjerg’s situation in North London and have now decided to pursue him as Marco Silva looks to add more experience to his side over at Craven Cottage.
The 28-year-old Danish midfielder was once an integral part of Tottenham, with his physical dominance and efficient passing playing a vital part under former boss Antonio Conte’s charge.
Graced with power, awareness and an intimidating compatibility, Hojbjerg is master at picking off loose balls and set transitions off, which makes him quite a fit for Marco Silva’s system. It will be interesting to see how this story develops with less than 12 hours left before the transfer window closes.
