According to Sky Sports, Tottenham are in talks with Southampton over signing Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg this summer.

What's the word?

Reports in recent weeks had suggested Jose Mourinho's side were keen on bringing the Denmark international to north London, and now Sky Sports claim the Lilywhites have stepped up their interest in the midfielder.

Along with fellow Premier League side Everton, Spurs are locked in talks with Southampton over a deal to sign Hojbjerg, with the north Londoners keen on including Kyle Walker-Peters - the right-back is currently on loan at St Mary's.

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It's further suggested that Spurs have yet to reach Hojbjerg's £25m valuation, although the midfielder himself would prefer a move to Mourinho's team over a switch to Everton.

Unlocking Ndombele

In what has been a difficult debut season for Tanguy Ndombele, Mourinho recently confirmed that the Frenchman would now miss the rest of the season thanks to an injury.

But ahead of the next campaign, bringing in a player like Hojbjerg, could actually hold the key to unlocking the former Lyon man's true potential.

Hojbjerg is more of a natural ball-winning midfielder - he has averaged 2.5 tackles per game this season - and having him sit in front of the back-four, and rid Ndombele of any added defensive responsibility could allow him to thrive in a more attacking sense.

No longer would he have to worry constantly about staying switched or marking tightly. Hojbjerg could take on that burden, and Spurs could give Ndombele the licence to maraud forward and be more of a threat.

When hearing about the north London side's interest in Hojbjerg, Alex Bruce said: "He’s competitive, he’s a combative midfielder and that would obviously help Tottenham so he’d be a good one for them."

But rather than just what the 6 foot 1 man can bring to the table himself, how he could also help in regards to Ndombele could be one of the key reasons behind his arrival.