Why Celtic can hand Tottenham a huge boost in pursuit of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg – TBR View

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Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in signing Southampton captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg this summer and have been strongly linked with the Dane since the January window – and Celtic could help Spurs land the midfielder.

Hojbjerg, 24, is set to enter the final 12 months of his contract and is unlikely to agree a new deal with Spurs. Towards the end of January, Sky Sports claimed Tottenham, Arsenal and Everton were all interested in the £35million-rated midfielder.

The holding midfielder has been a regular for Southampton since joining the club four years ago, clocking up 129 appearances in all competitions. He has impressed in all four meetings with Tottenham this season – having played an FA Cup replay.

Speaking about his future, Hojbjerg recently told Sport1 – as per the Evening Standard: “I want to play at an even higher level than I am currently. My goal is very clear: I want to win the Premier League and the Champions League.”

Southampton will want to sell Hojbjerg but they will hardly do so until they bring in a replacement for Hojbjerg’s services – given they still have a contract with the Dane until 2021. That is where Celtic come in.

Southampton have signed plenty of players from Celtic over the years, in Virgil van Dijk, Fraser Forster, Stuart Armstrong and Victor Wanyama. Now, they could raid the Scottish champions for a fifth time – for French ace Olivier Ntcham.

Ntcham has been repeatedly linked with the exit door at Celtic following his arrival from Manchester City – the likes of Porto and a return to France have been on the agenda. The Record claim Southampton want to sign 24-year-old Ntcham.

The Hoops may look to cash in given Ntcham is not one of the first names on the team sheet – such as Scott Brown, Ryan Christie or Callum McGregor. Sanctioning such a deal will see Southampton bring in a replacement for Hojbjerg.

That, in turn, will hand Tottenham a boost in their pursuit of Hojbjerg – as the Saints are much more likely to sanction their captain’s exit if they have already signed a replacement. Celtic letting Ntcham go can help Tottenham land Hojbjerg.