Transfer news: Sporting’s captain closes in on a Premier League switch this summer
Transfer news: Morten Hjulmand’s departure from Sporting CP next summer is looking highly likely, with Manchester United and Arsenal leading the chase. According to CMJornal, the Danish midfielder reached an internal agreement with Sporting’s board last season to stay one final year before a summer exit, and that window is now open.
Despite carrying an €80 million release clause, Sporting are prepared to accept around €40 million, a figure that makes this transfer news one of the biggest bargains of the window. The 26-year-old suffered a right foot injury following a foul from Porto’s Gabri Veiga in the Copa da Liga semi-final, though he has largely recovered and may feature against Gil Vicente on Saturday.
After that, the Portuguese Cup final against Torreense awaits, a match Hjulmand clearly wants to win before walking out of Alvalade for the last time. His stats for 2025/26 speak loudly with a 90.83% pass completion rate, placing him in the 96th percentile across Liga NOS, 0.27 xA per 90 minutes in the 94th percentile, and four assists from 26 league appearances. His defensive numbers are just as impressive, with 54 tackles and 12 clean sheets across the campaign.
3 Midfielders Arsenal should buy in the transfer window
Does Arsenal actually have a realistic route past Manchester United for Hjulmand?
Genuinely, this is a trickier question than most Arsenal supporters want to admit. Former manager Ruben Amorim had included Hjulmand on every list of players he wanted to bring to Manchester United, giving United a massive advantage thanks to their personal connection. Now, Arsenal approached Sporting during the Champions League quarter-finals and reportedly agreed personal terms with Hjulmand ahead of next season, which is encouraging, but personal terms mean little if United trigger the deal first.
Man Utd handed massive transfer boost in race to sign £45m Casemiro replacement
Reports suggest Hjulmand is a lifelong Arsenal fan, which might offer the Gunners some advantage in negotiations. Still, sentiment rarely wins transfer races. Arsenal need a genuine defensive midfielder capable of protecting a high line, and Hjulmand‘s cross completion rate of 0% from just three attempts shows his focus is rightly on structure and passing rather than wide delivery. Mikel Arteta values intelligent pressing systems, and Hjulmand is exactly the type of player Arteta looks for. Transfer news from this summer suggests Arsenal need to act fast to make this happen.