Report: Tottenham want to sign Lecce’s Morten Hjulmand

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Tottenham Hotspur have set their sights on Lecce’s Morten Hjulmand, according to Italian outlet Calciomercato.

Spurs were reportedly keeping their eyes open for a new midfielder in the January transfer window.

Paul O’Keeffe claimed Tottenham were exploring additions at centre-back and midfield if the opportunity arose.

In the end, Spurs filled in their priority positions – right wing-back and attack – but didn’t get anyone else.

Now, Calciomercato – via Sport Witness – have spoken about Tottenham’s apparent interest in Hjulmand.

The outlet claims that Spurs are one of several clubs “enchanted” by the 23-year-old Dane.

As well as Tottenham, the likes of Napoli, AS Roma and Borussia Dortmund are also eyeing Hjulmand.

Meanwhile, Southampton tried their luck with a €13m (£11.5m) bid in January, but Lecce turned it down.

Fellow Premier League strugglers Leeds were also reportedly wanting Hjulmand in January.

Ben Jacobs covered the Whites’ apparent interest on the JustJoeFootballShow (19/1/23; 11min 30sec).

The CBS journalist said Lecce wanted around £20m for Hjulmand.

If that remains the case in summer, Tottenham should be able to sign him without too many problems.

With Tottenham and others in the mix to sign the Dane, he’s apparently ‘ready to take off’, likely this summer.

‘Tenacious’

And if Spurs win the race for Hjulmand, they’d be getting themselves a top talent.

He came through the ranks at FC Copenhagen before joining Austria’s Admira Wacker in 2018 on a free transfer.

Hjulmand then joined Lecce in 2021 for a reported £130,000 fee, helping then win the Serie B championship.

He has also made the Denmark squad for one game, though he’s yet to make his debut.

The 23-year-old is a defensive midfielder by trade, but he can also play centrally and even in attacking midfield.

Hjulmand has been compared to Joshua Kimmich and Lasse Schone on Twitter.

West Ham fansite GSH recently published a scouting report on Hjulmand.

They claimed ‘Italian journalists have praised Hjulmand’s tenacious and possessive role in the midfield.

‘He is used to play as a defensive midfielder, but moving to an Italian team allowed him to play in a more complex role.

‘He’s currently used as a mezzala, which allows him to drop deep in front of the back four to assist the transition of play.

‘He stays central to the ball when his team is out of possession.

‘When the opposition attempts to play through the middle, Hjulmand forms an extra body in front of the central defence and helps to break up the attack.

‘Although he is quick to react to his team losing possession and adds to a defensive formation, he is known for having a bad disciplinary record.’