Arsenal transfer news
Arsenal transfer news: The Gunners consider summer move for Sporting CP captain Hjulmand
Arsenal transfer news: Sporting CP skipper Morten Hjulmand has popped up on Arsenal’s radar. According to Portuguese outlet Correio da Manha, via A Bola, Mikel Arteta is seriously looking at the Danish international to bolster his midfield ahead of the upcoming window.
The price? Surprisingly reasonable.
Despite an imposing €80m release clause written into his contract at the Alvalade, the word from Lisbon is that the 27-year-old could move for significantly less. Somewhere between €40m (£35m) and €50m (£43m) should do it. It turns out Hjulmand nearly jumped ship last summer. He stayed put after a quiet, gentleman’s agreement with Sporting chiefs that they wouldn’t stand in his way this year for a heavily reduced fee.
He is coming off a stellar season. Three goals and four assists in 27 domestic games only tell half the story. Arsenal scouts watched him closely during the Champions League quarter-finals, where his grit turned heads. Statistically, he sits in the 95th percentile for tackles won across Europe’s top leagues. Sporting want clubs to start talking at €60m, but a deal is there to be done.
Why the Danish enforcer makes perfect sense for Arteta?
Is he the absolute top priority? No. That honour belongs to a new left-winger, with Villa’s Morgan Rogers heavily linked. But Hjulmand should be right up there.
Look at the market. Lille want up to £70m for teenager Ayyoub Bouaddi. West Ham won’t budge under £80m for Mateus Fernandes. Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali? Forget about it, you’re looking at nine figures. In that context, Hjulmand is an absolute steal.
Christian Norgaard is heading for the exit door after starting just one league game. Arsenal need a proper, seasoned No.6 who can shield the backline, letting Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi do their thing. Hjulmand fits. He isn’t dynamic like Rice, but he is incredibly press-resistant, boasting an 88 per cent pass completion rate. He recycles the ball brilliantly in tight spaces.
Age is another factor. The current midfield core, Rice, Zubimendi, Merino, and Odegaard, is in that 27-to-32 bracket. Bouaddi would be one for the future, sure, but Arsenal have a here-and-now depth problem. Last year’s injury crisis proved they cannot thin-squad the Champions League again.
Crucially, Hjulmand grew up supporting Arsenal. A move to N5 is his childhood dream, which makes sorting personal terms a breeze.
Read: Mikel Arteta suddenly wants Arsenal to sign £86m PL star
Arteta needs to sort out the wide areas first; Leandro Trossard’s dip in form showed how exposed they are out left. But securing Hjulmand as a secondary signing for around £40m is just clever business. Manchester United are already sniffing around, so Arsenal cannot afford to dither.
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