Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has warned Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg he will be stripped of the the captain's armband if he runs down his contract.
Hojbjerg has emerged as a surprise target for Tottenham this summer with just 12 months left to run on his existing Southampton deal.
The former Bayern Munich midfielder has been in superb form for Southampton since Hasenhuttl's arrival in December 2018.
However, Hasenhuttl has warned Hojbjerg he can expect to be relieved of the captain's duties if he opts against pledging his long-term future to the club this summer.
"It's not good for him and I don't think the situation would be good for him," Hasenhuttl told BBC Radio Solent, via The Daily Echo.
"As a captain, you cannot lead a team without extending your contract. This is always difficult. We must look at what we have. I think we should avoid letting players go without a transfer fee. This is what we should avoid.
"It's not good to go into the last year of your contract - especially as a young player with a big future.
"This is not the ideal situation, but we have opportunities to handle it and we will have talks with other players and find a decision."
It means Hojbjerg must sign a new contract before the start of next season or be sold, which will put Tottenham on red alert for his signature.
The 24-year-old has impressively won possession in the middle third at least 31 more times than any other player in the Premier League this season (157).
