Harry Winks may be odd man out with Hojbjerg transfer

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Tottenham Hotspur’s finances are exceptionally tight. Daniel Levy and Jose Mourinho have both said that transfers this year are going to be difficult and any purchases will have to be offset with sales. So, given that situation, at the end of our last article regarding the possible transfer of Southampton midfielder Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, I ended it with the following line:

What will it mean for current Spurs midfielders? Is someone going to be sold and, if so, who?

It appears we’re not the only ones asking that question. According to The Mirror, it appears that Harry Winks might be the man left out in the cold if Spurs do come to an agreement with Southampton.

Tottenham’s pursuit of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has cast doubts on Harry Winks’s future at the club.

Spurs and Everton are both chasing the £25million-rated Southampton star.

And should Jose Mourinho beat Carlo Ancelotti to his signature then Winks is the most likely player to leave north London.

Winks, 24, is valued between £25m and £30m but has been in and out of the team under Mourinho.

None of this is false, of course. It’s pretty common knowledge by now that Spurs and Everton are fighting each other over Højbjerg. We also know that Spurs have something Southampton want in the form of right back Kyle Walker-Peters. Given the drama surrounding Mourinho and Tanguy Ndombele, it’s a tad surprising that we’re seeing Winks’ name come up in these discussions.

Spurs have a couple of international slots open on their roster and Jan Vertonghen is going to leave the club when this season is over. Spurs, however, still have to be mindful of their homegrown status. What The Mirror are suggesting is that Spurs would be okay sending Walker-Peters the other direction and selling Harry Winks to whoever bids the highest. We do expect Spurs to make an offer to relegated Norwich City for Max Aarons, but that’s not a slam dunk by any stretch.

Winks’ valuation by Levy has reportedly been as high as £40m and there are a number of clubs that would be interested in him in a normal transfer window. The problem for Levy is that this will be anything but a normal window and Winks probably stays for that reason.

Of course, this is from The Mirror so let’s take it with a truckload of salt. It’s a fair discussion to have, but I think Spurs are going to hang onto Winks unless someone backs a Brinks truck up to the stadium and starts unloading piles of money. As the Højbjerg saga plays out, we’ll probably hear more about possible departures.