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Atletico Madrid 'reignite interest' in wantaway Tottenham Hotspur midfielder

By Ben Sully | 10 June 2024

Atletico 'reignite interest' in wantaway Tottenham midfielder

Spanish club Atletico Madrid are reportedly set to reignite their interest in signing Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Atletico Madrid have reportedly renewed their interest in signing Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Spurs are looking to offload some fringe members of their squad in a bid to free up space for potential new additions.

Last week, Tottenham confirmed that Eric Dier, Ryan Sessegnon, Ivan Perisic and Japhet Tanganga have all left the club.

They are also preparing to cut ties with their record signing Tanguy Ndombele, with Spurs willing to terminate the player's contract a year before it is due to expire.

Hojbjerg is another player who could be moved on this summer, especially with the Dane set to enter the final 12 months of his deal.

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone on April 1, 2024 © Reuters

Atletico reignite Hojbjerg pursuit

The 28-year-old was heavily linked with a move to Atletico last year, but a transfer ultimately failed to come to fruition.

According to the Daily Mail, Atletico boss Diego Simeone remains an admirer of Hojbjerg and wants to bring him to the Civitas Metropolitano this summer.

The Spanish club have identified a holding midfielder as one of the key positions that needs to be strengthened ahead of the 2024-25 season.

There is a belief that Tottenham will be willing to part ways with Hojbjerg if they receive a bid in the region of £15m.

Atletico could face competition from Turkish giants Fenerbahce, who have discussed reuniting Hojbjerg with his former Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho.

There have also been rumours suggesting that Napoli are showing an interest, leading to the possibility of Hojbjerg linking up with one of his other former managers Antonio Conte.

Tottenham Hotspur's Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg during the warm up before the match on October 27, 2023 © Reuters

Why does Hojbjerg want to leave Tottenham?

The Denmark international is keen to end his four-year spell with Tottenham as he looks to find a new club that can offer him regular game time.

Hojbjerg was unable to force his way into Ange Postecoglou's plans last season, ensuring that he had to settle for just eight Premier League starts.

The Tottenham boss ultimately decided to utilise Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr as his preferred central-midfield pairing.

Hojbjerg may be searching for a new home, but he is currently focusing on representing his country at Euro 2024 in Germany.

Having earned 77 international caps, Hojbjerg is expected to start when Denmark kick off their tournament in Sunday's clash with Slovenia.