Manchester United and Arsenal are now the two clubs most strongly positioned for Morten Hjulmand, with reports from Portugal saying the Sporting captain is expected to leave this summer. The midfield race has swung again after Manchester City had appeared to be leading the chase in recent weeks, only for United to move ahead and now for Arsenal to emerge alongside them.
Hjulmand, who is recovering from a foot injury, is close to returning and could feature against Gil Vicente this weekend. Sporting then face Torreense in the Portuguese Cup final, but the bigger picture is already fixed: the Denmark international is expected to depart in the summer, with an understanding in place that would allow him to go for around €40m, or about £34m, well below his €80m release clause.
Correio da Manhã reported that Hjulmand had the chance to move in January, but instead reached an agreement with Sporting’s hierarchy to stay for the rest of the season and leave later. That arrangement has given Sporting a calmer response to the transfer noise than many clubs would manage, because the pathway out was reportedly mapped months ago.
United’s interest is tied to their search for more control and consistency in midfield, while Arsenal have been examining options that can bring structure and balance. Hjulmand’s case is also more personal for the north London club: he is an Arsenal fan and has a tattoo linked to them, a detail that gives the pursuit an extra layer without changing the hard economics of the deal.
The tension in the race is that every club circling Hjulmand knows the price has already been softened by Sporting’s private understanding with the player, yet the timing still matters. If he returns against Gil Vicente and stays on track through the Portuguese Cup final, his summer exit will move from expectation to execution, and the club that acts fastest may be the one that gets the midfielder Sporting have already prepared to lose.
