Newcastle United are reshaping their squad after a hugely disappointing 2025–26 campaign.
The Magpies finished 12th in the Premier League after struggling for consistency. Their domestic campaign fell well short of expectations despite significant investment.
Newcastle did reach the Champions League Round of 16. However, Barcelona eliminated them with a heavy 7–2 aggregate victory.
Major changes followed during the summer. Eddie Howe left his position in July, while Matthias Jaissle arrived as the new head coach.
Newcastle also sanctioned several major departures. Bruno Guimaraes joined Arsenal for £75 million, while Sandro Tonali moved to Tottenham Hotspur.
Anthony Gordon also departed for Barcelona. Newcastle responded by adding several younger players, including Bazoumana Toure, Aladji Bamba and Lukas Hornicek.
However, Jaissle also wants more experience in midfield following those departures.
According to TEAMtalk, Newcastle were closing in on former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, but the 31-year-old has now rejected the proposed move.
Hojbjerg initially gave Newcastle United the green light to pursue a deal. The club then made significant progress in negotiations with Marseille.
The Denmark international also indicated during the previous 48 hours that he was ready to join Jaissle’s project.
However, Fabrizio Romano also revealed that Hojbjerg has now changed his mind. Newcastle therefore no longer expect the transfer to go through in its current form.
The development leaves the Magpies with another midfield problem. They had prioritised Hojbjerg ahead of another former Tottenham midfielder Joao Palhinha.
Newcastle also held talks with Palhinha. However, the Portuguese midfielder is now expected to join Aston Villa after Bayern Munich allowed him to leave.
Marseille still believe Newcastle could revive the Hojbjerg deal. For now, though, the Magpies are assessing alternative options.
Meanwhile, Newcastle have shown some improvement during preseason under Jaissle. They defeated Darlington 3–0 before drawing 1–1 with Gateshead.
A 4–1 defeat against Bristol City followed, but Newcastle responded with a 2–1 victory over Valencia.
They will continue their preparations against Everton and Bayer Leverkusen before opening their Premier League campaign against Liverpool.
🚨⚠️ EXCLUSIVE: Pierre Emile Højbjerg’s move to Newcastle currently OFF following new talks in the recent hours.#NUFC were prepared to pay what OM wanted but Højbjerg has decided to turn down the proposal. pic.twitter.com/fVT5iD2XDT
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 10, 2026
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