PIERRE-EMILE Hojbjerg hasn’t turned a new Saints deal down.
The club’s captain is out of contract next summer and has recently partnered with ‘super-agent’ Pini Zahavi.
This move led to speculation that Tottenham were weighing up a bid towards the end of the January transfer window for Hojbjerg.
But in terms of the latest speculation that the 24-year-old has turned down a new contract, this is believed to be wide of the mark.
Manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has consistently said that there won’t be any talks over renewing deals until he feels his side are safe from relegation.
The Austrian initially said 36 points would be the time to begin discussions although, depending on how the next two fixtures against Newcastle and Norwich go, this could be moved to 40.
Hasenhuttl believes that doing away with the speculation has played a part in his team turning their season around.
It’s meant that the likes of Hojbjerg and Shane Long were encouraged to focus solely on playing football for Saints.
Long’s contract runs out in the summer, but it’s understood that his extension will be routine as all parties are keen to come to an agreement.
As well as the two outfield players, Hasenhuttl has also refused to be drawn on his own future until his target is met.
This shouldn’t be a cause for concern though, as the Austrian is keen to repay the club for the loyalty they showed him earlier in the season, with his contract extension expected to be a formality.
The Daily Echo understands that Hojbjerg wants to see where Saints end up at the end of the season to gauge an idea of their direction of travel before committing himself to a new contract.
Despite this, his commitment behind the scenes hasn’t wavered.
The ex-Bayern Munich man played an important role in the club appointing Matt Crocker as its director of football operations towards the end of last year.
And the Denmark international recently teased fans on Instagram when commenting on one of Saints’ posts.
The club were congratulating him on making 100 Premier League appearances which prompted Hojbjerg to comment, ‘Let’s go for 100 more’.
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