Southampton midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg wants to join Tottenham Hotspur this summer, according to the Evening Standard. 

Jose Mourinho has made it clear that the 24-year-old is the player he needs to transform Tottenham into a side capable of challenging for silverware next season.

Hojbjerg was stripped of the captain's armband after refusing to sign a new deal at Southampton and he has told Ralph Hasenhuttl he wants to move on to bigger and better things. Spurs are leading the race to sign the Dane in the summer, amid interest from Ajax, and that could see Kyle Walker-Peters move in the opposite direction.

Mourinho has decided that Eric Dier's best position is in the defence and considers Hojbjerg to be a significant upgrade on the midfield options he has available at the moment.

As it stands, this will be bad news for Walker-Peters, who fell out of favour with Mourinho after appearing to take aim at the Portuguese in an interview with the Saints’ official website.

He is only one year younger than Hojbjerg and has played every single minute of Southampton's past four games, helping Hasenhuttl's side to beat Watford and Manchester City while earning draws against Everton and Manchester United.

Hasenhuttl wants to sign a right-back before the start of next season and is a keen admirer of Walker-Peters. Although Mourinho had suggested that the 23-year-old could still return to Tottenham, he added that he won't stop him from leaving if he wishes to do so.

It now seems that Spurs are eager to use him as part of an exchange deal for Hojbjerg, despite him impressing for the Saints since the Premier League restart. No matter how hard he tries on the pitch, the defender seems to have burnt most of his bridges back in north London.

Mourinho is prepared to let him go, which could end up being a decision he regrets in the future, as the academy graduate has reminded his parent club of exactly what he has to offer.

Tottenham fans, do you think Mourinho should give Kyle Walker-Peters another chance? Let us know in the comments below!