€80m Amorim favourite responds to Man Utd interest

Sporting CP midfielder Morten Hjulmand has broken his silence on links with Manchester United.

The Denmark international is a player who is still greatly admired by his former head coach Ruben Amorim, with the Portuguese tactician previously describing Hjulmand as more complete than Sporting predecessors Joao Palhinha and Manuel Ugarte.

The 26-year-old has been brilliant for the reigning Portuguese champions since replacing Ugarte in 2023, captaining the side to last season’s league title.

Unsurprisingly, Hjulmand has been attracting attention from elsewhere, including from Man Utd, who were in the market for a midfielder in the summer. Carlos Baleba was prioritised, but no move materialised.

Hjulmand was also explored, but as The Transfers Podcast revealed at the beginning of August, signing the Denmark international was always going to prove eminently difficult in a window in which Sporting had already lost Viktor Gyokeres.

Hjulmand breaks silence on Man Utd

Indeed, Sporting were in a position of strength with regard to the future of their captain. His release clause expired earlier in the summer, and they did not need the money after selling Gyokeres.

The Lisbon outfit pointed to the value of his €80 million clause as a benchmark for the fee suitors would have had to put on the table. Man Utd, having splashed the cash on three big-money attackers, did not have the funds to break the bank on Hjulmand.

Man Utd remain in the market for a midfielder, and a host of players are already being linked with them for January. Hjulmand will be no different, but he is not interested in the speculation.

Speaking on international duty with Denmark, he bluntly said when confronted with Man Utd’s interest: “I don’t react to rumours. I react to the fact that I should start [the season] at Sporting, where we have performed at a high level.

“I’d rather not answer that,” Hjulmand said evasively when pressed on whether he had talked to any clubs during the summer window. Reports in Portugal suggest that the midfielder could be in line for a big bonus from Sporting for staying put for another year.

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