Newcastle pushing ahead with Pierre Emile Højbjerg move - Fabrizio Romano

Pierre Emile Højbjerg remains the club’s key midfield target, despite links to João Palhinha.

As Newcastle United continue to look for ways to replace Bruno Guimarães, attention remains fixed on Højbjerg, with the Marseille and former Spurs midfielder now emerging as a key option.

Fabrizio Romano reports today that the club is pushing to tie up a deal for the 31-year-old, stating that new boss Matthias Jaissle considers him to be a “priority target.”

A deal for Højbjerg could cost as little as £13m, according to reports in Francee, which is important context if we can land £15-£20m for Joe Willock.

Højbjerg deal close

The story first broke a few days ago, and since then, it's felt like one the club are keen to wrap up to bring some much-needed leadership to the group.

After the Valencia match, a number of North East journalists also reported updates would happen in the coming days. 

The Mail's Craig Hope stated we’d hear news in “the next 72 hours”, while Keith Downie said, “I hopefully get an update tomorrow.” Monday appears to be the first sign that these updates are starting to flow

With an experienced midfielder seen as the ideal replacement for Bruno, Højbjerg is not the only name linked. 

Pierre, not Palhinha? 

Reports suggest that Joao Palhinha, who spent last season on loan at Spurs, was under consideration. However, reports today suggest that Aston Villa is looking to sign him. 

In fact, Director of Football for Villa Damian Vidagany even name-dropped Palhinha when speaking to Bild: “We need a midfielder because Amadou Onana is out for the entire season - Joao Palhinha is a very good player who would fit our plans.” 

Newcastle United are still expected to sign at least three players this window, with a midfielder, a full-back and an attacker expected. For now, it looks like the club wants to bring in the midfielder on the cheap so they can spend the larger portion of the cash on the other two.