Southampton close in on £12m signing of Denmark international

Southampton are reportedly closing in on the £12 million signing of Bayern Munich midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, according to Sky Sports.

New Saints boss Claude Puel is looking to strengthen his squad following their sixth-placed finish in the Premier League last season, which means they have Europa League group stage football to look forward to next term.

The Frenchman’s first signing as manager looks set to be the 20-year-old Denmark international, who spent the 2015/16 campaign on loan at Bundesliga rivals, Schalke, where he made 30 appearances in all competitions.

Hojbjerg’s agent, Soren Lerby, told Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet: “Yes, I can confirm that Pierre will switch to Southampton.”

It has been another summer of change for Saints, with key men Victor Wanyama and Sadio Mane joining Tottenham and Liverpool respectively, and Graziano Pelle expected to complete a move to China this week, but they have also brought in Nathan Redmond from Norwich City.