Newcastle had made significant progress towards an agreement with Marseille and believed they were closing in on a deal after Hojbjerg indicated in the last 48 hours that he was ready to join Matthias Jaissle’s new-look project. Hojbjerg had been attracted by the Newcastle project under Jaissle and sporting director Ross Wilson, while the opportunity to return to the Premier League was understood to appeal strongly to him.
Marseille sources, however, remain hopeful that the deal could yet be revived and believe there is still a possibility of finding a solution. There remains a chance the situation could change again given Marseille’s willingness to keep talking, but Newcastle are currently moving forward on the basis that Hojbjerg will not be joining them.
The situation is particularly significant because Newcastle had prioritised Hojbjerg ahead of Joao Palhinha in their search for midfield experience. Newcastle had also held talks with Palhinha, but TEAMtalk understands the Portuguese is now set to join Aston Villa after he was given permission by Bayern Munich to leave this summer.
There have been arrivals too, with the likes of goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen, winger Bazoumana Toure and midfielder Sean Steur, but Hojbjerg’s snub represents another frustrating blow as Newcastle attempt to reshape their squad. Jaissle now faces a race to strengthen his options before the transfer window closes, with Newcastle’s Premier League campaign beginning at home to Liverpool on Sunday August 23.