‘It’s the type of Spurs deal Levy knows well, he knows how to structure it, he has the patience’
Tottenham will be willing to pay more than the £20million they hoped Southampton midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg would cost this summer.
That is the view of ex-Spurs and Leeds midfielder Michael Brown, who claims that Daniel Levy will bide his time to get the best deal possible for the Lilywhites.
The Times report that Southampton will demand as much as £35million for the 24-year-old this summer, £15million more than Spurs were hoping they would have to pay.
As revealed by Football Insider, Southampton look set to sell the Danish midfielder this summer as he heads into the final year of his contract and is unlikely to pen a new deal.
Brown believes Spurs were being optimistic with their initial valuation of Hojbjerg and expects Levy to be willing to offer more to get the Saints’ star on board.
Brown told Football Insider: “When you’re talking £20million, it’s not a lot of money for a top-class player with international experience, it’s not a great deal.
“It’s the type of Spurs deal Daniel Levy knows well, he knows how to structure it, he has the patience, he sets many targets along the way.
“I think you’ve got to look at Hojbjerg, would he want to go to Spurs? I possibly think he would and that’s where the player can hold the cards when you’ve only got one year left. I would expect Spurs to pay a little bit more if he’s really their main target.”
Hojbjerg, who is Southampton’s captain, has missed just one Premier League game for the Saints this season.
He has made a total of 104 Premier League appearances since joining the south coast side from Bayern Munich.
In other Tottenham news, it can be revealed how far the club are willing to stretch to sign Philippe Coutinho.