Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is reportedly on the verge of signing for Ligue 1 giants Marseille, ending a four-year stay in North London.
The Denmark international seamlessly slotted into the Lilywhites' engine room upon his arrival from Southampton in the summer of 2020, commanding a £14m fee to leave St Mary's.
Hojbjerg immediately became a stalwart for Jose Mourinho, appearing in all 38 matches in the 2020-21 Premier League season, and Antonio Conte placed the same amount of trust in him.
However, the 28-year-old has fallen down the pecking order under Ange Postecoglou, who has revived Yves Bissouma's Spurs career while also preferring Pape Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur in the middle.
Hojbjerg still made 39 appearances in all competitions last season - including 36 in the Premier League - but he started just eight games in the top flight, coming off the bench in a further 28.
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Hojbjerg 'agrees' terms over Marseille move
Now in the final year of his contract at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Hojbjerg was heavily linked with a switch to Serie A in January, but he snubbed interest from Juventus to continue with Tottenham.
However, as no contract extension is forthcoming, Postecoglou is open to letting the Denmark international leave the club this summer rather than risk losing him for nothing at the end of next season.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Ligue 1 powerhouses Marseille are on the cusp of bringing Hojbjerg to Ligue 1, and the midfielder has already given the green light to a move to the Orange Velodrome.
Spurs and Marseille are now thrashing out the final details over a transfer fee, which were 'almost done' on Saturday night, and in a further update, Romano added that a fee potentially reaching €14m (£11.8m) had been agreed.
Hojbjerg will leave Tottenham with a record of 10 goals and 16 assists from 184 matches across all competitions, and he started all four of Denmark's games at Euro 2024 as the Scandinavians reached the last 16.
🚨🔵⚪️ Pierre-Emile Højbjerg to Olympique Marseille, here we go! Documents set to be signed for Danish midfielder who's joining from Spurs.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 21, 2024
Tottenham will receive fee around €13.5/14m as PEH was not intentioned to sign new deal.
Højbjerg accepted after speaking to de Zerbi. pic.twitter.com/IdWL8NgLu9
Hojbjerg adds to Tottenham's summer exodus
The 28-year-old will become the latest in a long line of players to leave Tottenham this summer, a list that includes Eric Dier, Ivan Perisic, Ryan Sessegnon, Japhet Tanganga, Tanguy Ndombele and Joe Rodon.
More are expected to follow Hojbjerg out of the door in the coming weeks, including fellow midfielders Oliver Skipp and Giovani Lo Celso, neither of whom are in Postecoglou's plans moving forward.
Sergio Reguilon, Richarlison, Emerson Royal, Bryan Gil and Djed Spence have also been on the chopping block, but the latter may have revived his Tottenham career with some strong pre-season performances.
Spence scored one and set up another in a 5-1 thumping of Hearts in midweek, before also impressing in Saturday's 2-0 triumph over Queens Park Rangers.
Postecoglou's side are now preparing to jet off for their tour of Asia, where they will take on Bayern Munich, Vissel Kobe and Team K League before also facing the German giants in North London on August 10.
Ben Knapton
