Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has changed his mind – and the transfer to Newcastle has been shelved for the time being.
Newcastle had been pushing for the former Tottenham midfielder after opening talks with his representatives at the end of last week. The 31-year-old initially gave the green light for a return to England and appeared to be on his way to Tyneside.
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Newcastle had made significant progress in negotiations with Marseille – believing they were close to a deal after Hojbjerg had indicated in the last 48 hours that he was ready for Matthias Jaissle’s new project.
But the Dane has now changed his mind.
– No longer ready for Newcastle
Hojbjerg is no longer willing to move to Newcastle, and the Magpies have been stunned by the turnaround – they thought they were well on their way to bringing the experienced midfielder back to the Premier League.
The situation is all the more significant because Newcastle had prioritised Hojbjerg over João Palhinha in their pursuit of midfield experience.
Newcastle had also held talks with Palhinha, but TEAMtalk understands that the Portuguese is now on his way to Aston Villa – after receiving permission from Bayern Munich to leave the club this summer.
Thus, Newcastle will have to change their plans after losing both experienced midfield options.
Marseille still hopes
However, sources in Marseille remain hopeful – they still believe it is possible to find a solution. However, as things stand, Hojbjerg’s transfer has been cancelled, and Newcastle no longer expect the transfer to happen in its current form.
Hojbjerg had been attracted to the Newcastle project under Jaissle and sporting director Ross Wilson. The opportunity to return to the Premier League is said to have appealed strongly to the Dane.
Newcastle saw his experience, leadership skills and knowledge of English football as great values – especially as they have to rebuild their midfield after the loss of several experienced players.
For now, the Magpies are back to the drawing board – looking for new options, with their first-priority experience pick unexpectedly out of the picture.
There remains a possibility that the situation could change again, given Marseille’s willingness to continue the dialogue. But Newcastle are now moving on the basis that Hojbjerg will not be their player.
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