Telegraph: Real Madrid could target Hojbjerg as Casemiro replacement

It’s been a hot minute since we’ve had a transfer rumor of a club bigger than Tottenham Hotspur trying to poach one of its players. But that may be what’s happening. According to Jason Burt in the Telegraph (£), Real Madrid may target Spurs’ Danish central midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to replace Casemiro, who is now bound for Manchester United.

It’s the weirdest player domino ever, but it does make a certain sort of sense — Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is a big fan of Hojbjerg and tried to bring him to Everton from Southampton that same summer, but Spurs swooped at the last minute and poached him.

Hojbjerg cost £15m two seasons ago and still has three years left on his deal, so if Madrid want him he’s certainly not going to go cheaply. This isn’t a super strong rumor — there isn’t much beyond the suggestion that Ancelotti would consider him as one option as a Casemiro replacement.

That said, I’m... strangely not opposed to this? Hojbjerg is fine, but he’s always seemed to me something of a role player and not a stand-out performer. Selling him for a boatload of money to Real Madrid would make Tottenham at least temporarily thin at central midfield, reliant on Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma, and an injured Oliver Skipp (not to mention, I guess, Harry Winks). However, I’m really, REALLY curious as to what Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici could in that position with a bucket full of cash and two weeks to go in the transfer window. Bruno Guimaraes is right there... just sayin’.

Look, I’m not saying losing General Ho to Madrid wouldn’t suck, just that it wouldn’t be the same as, say, losing Kane or Son. And as of now there aren’t super strong indications that this is indeed the case. Tottenham certainly wouldn’t make it easy, that’s for sure. But I’d be shocked if Spurs would end the window with only two healthy midfielders on the books (plus Skipp and Winks). If Madrid are serious, we’ll find out pretty soon. And then, well, guess we’d have an exciting end of the window after all, huh?