Newcastle's pursuit of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has collapsed after the Marseille midfielder decided against returning to England, dealing the club a fresh blow in a turbulent summer of squad reshaping.
The 31-year-old had appeared to be heading to Tyneside after initially signalling his willingness to join Matthias Jaissle's project. Newcastle opened talks with his representatives late last week, made significant progress towards an agreement with Marseille, and were prepared to meet the French club's asking price. Within the last 48 hours, Hojbjerg had indicated he was ready to commit — only to reverse that position entirely.
As things stand, the move is off and Newcastle are no longer expecting it to proceed in its current form. Marseille sources remain hopeful the deal can still be revived, and there is an acknowledgement on both sides that the situation could yet shift again, but Newcastle are currently planning on the basis that Hojbjerg will not be arriving.
The Dane had been attracted by the prospect of working under Jaissle and sporting director Ross Wilson, and the chance to return to the Premier League held genuine appeal. Newcastle, for their part, had valued his experience, leadership and familiarity with English football as they attempt to rebuild a depleted midfield. He had been prioritised ahead of Joao Palhinha in their search for established options in that area — though Palhinha now appears set to join Aston Villa after Bayern Munich gave him permission to leave.
Hojbjerg's refusal lands particularly hard given the scale of what Newcastle have lost this summer. Bruno Guimaraes departed for Arsenal last Saturday, while Anthony Gordon joined Barcelona for £70m and Sandro Tonali — who became Tottenham's club-record signing — left for £100m. There has also been a change in the dugout, with Eddie Howe stepping down after five years and Jaissle arriving from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli.
Arrivals have come in the shape of goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen, winger Bazoumana Toure and midfielder Sean Steur, but the failure to land Hojbjerg — a player with over 250 top-flight appearances, including 145 at Tottenham and 109 at Southampton — is a significant setback. His last Premier League campaign came in 2023/24.
The mood among supporters has been one of frustration. "I was never convinced with his signing but him actually turning us down is a new low #NUFC," one fan wrote. Another added: "Getting rejected by Hojbjerg is a new low."
Jaissle must now look elsewhere ahead of the Premier League opener against Liverpool on August 23. Newcastle still have three pre-season fixtures remaining, beginning with a match against Everton on August 12, followed by games against Bayer Leverkusen and Strasbourg. The head coach will also be monitoring the fitness of Anthony Elanga, who was stretchered off during Saturday's friendly against Valencia after a challenge from Jose Luis Gaya. Jaissle has since confirmed the injury was not serious.
Reporting: TeamTalk, talkSPORT, The Sun.