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Arsenal consider hijacking Tottenham transfer plan for key Jose Mourinho target
Arsenal could muscle in on Tottenham's summer transfer plans.
Southampton: Hojbjerg says he’s ‘proud’ to be captain in 2019
Arsenal are considering entering the race for Tottenham Hotspur target Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. The Southampton midfielder looks set for a summer switch after refusing to extend his contract, which expires at the end of next season.
Saints are looking to sell for around £35million but the financial effects of the coronavirus crisis means they could be forced to accept a reduced fee.
Jose Mourinho has identified Hojbjerg as one of his key transfer targets as he looks to overhaul the Spurs squad he inherited from Mauricio Pochettino.
But the Tottenham boss is likely to face competition from north London rival Mikel Arteta, who could hunt midfield reinforcements amid doubts over Matteo Guendouzi and Lucas Torreira.
Guendouzi has been axed from the first-team squad due to Arteta's concerns over the 21-year-old's attitude.
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Torreira, meanwhile, has endured a challenging campaign and has fallen behind Dani Ceballos and Granit Xhaka in the pecking order.
Ceballo's future is also far from guaranteed, although Arsenal are confident of extending his loan deal for another season.
According to The Telegraph, Everton are also pushing to agree a deal for Hojbjerg after launching an £18m offer.
Tottenham remain favourites, however, despite their limited transfer budget, and could offer Kyle Walker-Peters on a permanent basis to reduce the cash sum.
KEY STORY: Arsenal star details crunch talks with Mikel Arteta amid 'doubts' over Gunners future
Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl stripped Hojbjerg of the captain's armband ahead of the Premier League restart due to his contract stance.
Hasenhuttl has also indicated Saints are prepared to take a tough line over the Denmark international.
“If somebody else wants to get him, then they must make a make a good offer," he said.
“And even then, we have to decide, we as a club, the player has to decide, so we have to find a win-win situation and then everybody is happy.
“As long as we don’t have this, he is our player and he will stay with us.
“He wants to give everything as long as he is with us.
“This is what I expect because he is our player, he gets money from us, he’s paid by us. This is what he should do.
“About his future, he knows that there is some interest and hopefully, yeah, a club that wants him really shows that they want him. If not, he stays with us.”
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