Arsenal blocked Manchester United’s move to sign Sporting Lisbon captain Morten Hjulmand following their deal for Viktor Gyokeres, GIVEMESPORT senior correspondent Fabrizio Romano has revealed.
The Old Trafford side targeted a new midfielder in the final weeks of the summer transfer window and reportedly had Hjulmand among the alternatives to Carlos Baleba.
United pulled out of the pursuit of Baleba after learning of Brighton’s hefty demands, reported to be around £120m, and looked at several other potential names to bolster Ruben Amorim’s midfield options.
While a loan move for Atletico Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher was explored, United also gathered information about Hjulmand, whom Amorim coached for over a season at Sporting.
However, Sporting refused to entertain any talks regarding the Denmark international after Gyokeres’ move to Arsenal, as they did not want another crucial player to depart the club during the summer window.
Man United Explored Morten Hjulmand Deal
Morten Hjulmand in action for Sporting
Romano, speaking on his YouTube channel, revealed that Man United considered reuniting Amorim with Hjulmand this summer but never advanced on a deal, as Sporting were unwilling to sell their captain:
“For sure, the situation of Hjulmand was never easy. But Manchester United were informed over the summer about Hjulmand, the player well known by Ruben Amorim.
“Different skills compared, for example, to Baleba, to Gallagher, but still a very interesting midfielder for Man United.
“That option was never advanced for one reason, that Sporting, after selling Viktor Gyokeres to Arsenal, didn’t want to sell any other crucial piece of their squad to any other club.
“So this is why, for Hjulmand, for Man United, it was not even possible to start a real negotiation.”
Amorim signed Hjulmand for Sporting two summers ago from Serie A side Lecce and fielded him 65 times during their time together at the Lisbon club.
The 26-year-old midfielder, praised as an 'absolute monster', was instrumental in Sporting’s title-winning campaigns over the past two seasons, making 58 league appearances, scoring five goals and providing four assists.
He was made Sporting captain last summer following Sebastian Coates’ departure and kept the armband ahead of the 2025/26 season, where he has played every single minute of Sporting’s first five games in all competitions.
Hjulmand is under contract until the summer of 2028 and is said to have a release clause of €80m (£69m), according to reports in Portugal.
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