Tottenham Hotspur will want a "fair whack" for Denmark international Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg this summer if Atletico Madrid try to sign him due to his record in the Premier League, claims journalist Alasdair Gold.
Is Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg leaving Tottenham this summer?
The transfer window has gone quite well for Spurs this summer. So far, they have improved their first XI with the signings of James Maddison and Guglielmo Vicario, while also bolstering their squad depth with the acquisition of Manor Solomon.
That said, there is the ever-present threat that they could lose all-time leading goalscorer and club talisman Harry Kane, as Bayern Munich persist in their attempts to secure his signature.
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However, with Daniel Levy's stance that they want over £100m, a sale might not be as cataclysmic as some have suggested.
Meanwhile, another player that could be leaving N17 this summer is midfield stalwart Hojbjerg, who was brought to the club by Jose Mourinho.
The Portuguese manager signed the Dane in the summer of 2020, but his three-year spell in Spurs colours could soon be coming to an end.
Spanish publication Marca (via BBC Sport) has reported that he is a potential target of Atletico Madrid should they be unable to sign Marco Verratti, who has been linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League.
And with Fabrizio Romano reporting that the Italian has now agreed terms to move to Saudi side Al-Hilal, the La Liga giants might well turn their attention to the Spurs man, who journalist Alasdair Gold expects will cost them a significant amount of money.
He explained the situation on his YouTube channel, saying:
"Still intrigued to see how high Atletico Madrid will go for Hojbjerg in terms of the price, because I think Spurs will want a fair whack for him.
"I saw some reports suggesting that £20m had been rejected or something, but I would imagine you'd want more for Hojbjerg. He's an established Premier League midfielder, scores goals, gets assists, couple of years left on his contract – I think you could easily look for more than £20m.
"They may be looking at £30m, maybe £40m for him. And I know there's people that don't rate him, but I think if you're looking from the outside, he's an established Premier League player."
How good is Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg?
In an otherwise dismal season for the Lilywhites, aside from Kane, Hojbjerg was one of the few bright spots for fans to latch onto.
The Denmark international played in 35 of the side's league games, scoring four goals, providing five assists, maintaining a passing accuracy of 88.6% and averaging a brilliant rating of 7.02, per WhoScored.
His underlying numbers are just as impressive, suggesting that he could reach another level in a more structured system at Atletico.
According to FBref, which compares players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, the 27-year-old "monster" sits in the top 8% for pass completion, the top 12% for attempted passes and the top 13% for clearances per 90.
The man who brought him to the club in the first place, Mourinho, was clearly a massive fan of his combative side, waxing lyrical about him back in 2020:
"Physically, he's very, very strong and technically, he's much better than people think. Because sometimes people think the guy that is good technically is the guy that does the backheel.
"The guy is so simple in everything he does with the ball. And I think he's a phenomenal player."
While Tottenham might be better off keeping him, if Gold is correct and they can make up to £40m from his sale, it could be too good of an opportunity to turn down.
