REPORT: Man Utd And Arsenal Set To ‘Duel’ Over Signing Of £35M Rated Club Captain

BACK David Tully May 15th 2026 Man Utd are likely to face competition from Arsenal for Sporting Lisbon captain Morten Hjulmand, according to reports. Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha claim that the two Premier League clubs are set to “duel” for the Denmark international’s signature. Hjulmand does have a €80m (£70m) release clause in his contract, but the player is said to have a gentleman’s agreement in place so he can leave for a lower price. The midfielder wanted to move at the start of the season, but Sporting managed to persuade him to stay for one more year on the condition that they would sell him for just €40m (£35m). What do fans need to know about Hjulmand? The 26-year-old has been at Sporting since the start of the 2023/24 season, having been purchased from Lecce in a deal worth up to €21m. After just one year with the Portuguese champions, then head coach Ruben Amorim handed Hjulmand the captain’s armband. During his time with Sporting, the Dane has won two Liga Portugal titles and the Portuguese Cup. This campaign has been less successful, with his club expected to finish second, while Hjulmand himself is currently on the treatment table with an ankle injury. Man Utd are looking for more than one midfielder Hjulmand is not thought to be one of United’s top midfield targets for the summer transfer window, but the Red Devils need more depth in that area of the pitch. While a sizeable sum may be splashed out on someone like Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson, Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali, or Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni,  an offer for a low-cost midfielder could be made as well. Considering Hjulmand is on the market for a discounted price, it seems he may be an option under consideration. Want more news on Man Utd? Add Man U News as a preferred source on Google David Tully David has worked as a football reporter for the last fifteen years. Having started as an intern at Snack Media, he then went on to become a freelancer, working on various different sites. At the start of 2023, he took up his current role as content writer for the Football News Network.