Newcastle United has quickly turned its attention toward rebuilding a midfield that has lost two of its most influential players this summer, with Bruno Guimaraes following Sandro Tonali out of St. James’ Park and leaving Matthias Jaissle short of proven experience.
Heading into the weekend, an unheard-of name emerged as one of Newcastle’s main targets to strengthen the midfield with a veteran voice. That’d be Olympique Marseille captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, with the initial stage of the transfer
talks first reported by Foot Mercato.
The Magpies have now received the most definite, if not definitive outright, news from the former Premier League player.
According to TEAMtalk’s Graeme Bailey, Newcastle has already held discussions with Hojbjerg’s representatives and outlined its plans to the Marseille midfielder, who has given the green light to a potential return to the Premier League.
“TEAMtalk understands Newcastle have outlined their vision to the Dane, who is receptive to the prospect of returning to England after two seasons in France,” Bailey reported. “The former Southampton and Tottenham midfielder believes he still has plenty to offer at the highest level and is open to becoming part of Matthias Jaissle’s evolving project on Tyneside.”
There could also be an opportunity to complete the transfer relatively cheaply, as first reported by The Sun and confirmed by TEAMtalk, who revealed OM’s consideration of selling the 31-year-old amid financial pressure for an even-lower figure than initially reported.
“Marseille are understood to value the experienced midfielder at around €15million (£13m),” Bailey reported.
That price is particularly notable and seducing given Hojbjerg’s experience at his age, as he’s still 31 (only two years older than Bruno). Hojbjerg made 254 Premier League appearances across spells with Southampton and Tottenham and has 97 caps for Denmark, and he’d surely provide NUFC with the type of established presence and leadership Newcastle now lacks following the summer overhaul.
TEAMtalk stressed that Hojbjerg is only one of several midfielders Newcastle is assessing and that his representatives are also exploring opportunities elsewhere in Europe, so a transfer is still far from completed even with the player happy to complete the move.
“Borussia Dortmund star Felix Nmecha remains the club’s dream target, although his valuation continues to prove a significant obstacle,” Bailey reported.
Real Sociedad’s Luka Sucic, Porto’s Victor Froholdt and Monaco’s Lamine Camara are also named among the alternatives as players linked to the Magpies for weeks on end already.
Still, with Hojbjerg being receptive to the move, and at around €15 million (£13 million), the Marseille veteran represents a dramatically different proposition from some of the club’s more expensive targets and one I wouldn’t hesitate adding to the squad for at least the next two or three seasons as Newcastle fully transition into the new Matthias Jaissle era.
Would you take Hojbjerg for roughly £13 million as an experienced midfielder, or should the club put that money toward a younger, although more expensive, long-term replacement for Bruno? Join the conversation and tell us what you would do in the comments below!
