Contact already made: Ange will try to stop Spurs star from leaving in January to Spain

The agent of a Tottenham midfielder has reportedly met with Spanish giants Barcelona over a surprise January transfer window move that could leave Ange Postecoglou woefully short in his engine room next month.

Spurs will likely have a busy January as manager Gérard Postecoglou attempts to bring in three new players, a central striker, a midfielder, and a center back.

On Wednesday, rumors circulated that the team had discussed finalizing a trade for Nice’s highly-regarded center defender Jean-Claire Todibo, who has been on Manchester United’s radar for a while.

To ultimately fill the vacuum caused by Harry Kane’s departure, it seems that Ange Postecoglou’s top priority is still Santiago Gimenez, the prolific marksman for Feyenoord.

The Tottenham boss, who like the developing relationship between Yves Bissouma and Paper Sarr, finds midfield to be a bit of a puzzle, though, as they will be without the dup for the majority of January and possibly the beginning of February as they prepare for the African Cup of Nations.

Furthermore, Giovani Lo Celso’s injury prevented him from playing against Nottingham Forest, and Rodrigo Bentancur’s continued injury mean that Postecoglou may have to rely more on Oliver Skipp and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg come the new year.

Both players don’t really mesh with Postecoglou’s preferred playing style or tempo, and adding another midfield player may wind up stepping on the growing Bissouma-Sarr axis.

However, if the most recent claims on Hojbjerg are accurate, Postecoglou might be forced to enter the market.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Joan Laporta, the president of Barcelona, has met with the agency of the Denmark international in order to discuss a possible January move to Camp Nou.

Under Jose Mourinho, Nuno Espirito Santo, and Antonio Conte, Hojbjerg was a regular in the first team; under Postecoglou, however, he has been reduced to a bench warmer.

Despite the number of injuries Tottenham now has, the Dane has shown to be a valuable asset to the Australian, and self-inflicted sanctions have also taken a significant toll on the team.

In fact, Bissouma’s four-game suspension will begin after he received his second red card of the year at Forest.

Hojbjerg to play bigger role in January 

In the upcoming weeks, Postecoglou will most likely look to Hojbjerg to strengthen his engine room if Lo Celso is deemed unfit to play again.

All of that, though, might blow up in Hojbjerg’s face if Barca push hard to bring the 28-year-old to Catalonia, especially considering that he is aware of his limited time remaining at Tottenham.

Having been strongly connected to Juventus as well, the former Bayern Munich player is reportedly eager to leave, but it now appears that a move to Barcelona is the most likely destination.

The source also states that Hojbjerg may have been “one of the topics” of conversation during a recent meeting between Laporta and the player’s agent, Pini Zahavi.

Given that Laporta needs a new central midfielder for LaLiga, Zahavi, who is known to have a “great relationship” with the player, is likely promoting Laporta as the answer to that need.

When Tottenham plays in-form Everton in the Premier League on Saturday, Hojbjerg is expected to make his return to action.