Manchester United need a deep-lying playmaker before the season commences, and a recent report seems to suggest one of Ruben Amorim’s proteges could be on his way to Old Trafford.
Manuel Ugarte impressed against West Ham on Sunday but the head coach needs more options now that Christian Eriksen has departed and Casemiro is struggling to deal with the pace of the English game.
There were links with Ederson, but his asking price has so far proven to be beyond INEOS’ reach. Douglas Luiz of Juventus is available on loan, making him one of the favourites to arrive but his injury record is concerning.
Which explains why the 20-time English league champions have once again begun looking at Morten Hjulmand of Sporting CP, someone Amorim knows well, having brought him to the club from Lecce.
Morten Hjulmand race
The Peoples Person had relayed that the club from Portugal would not sell their midfield talisman for less than his release clause of €80 million, something the Old Trafford side could not afford.
But Calciomercato have claimed that Sporting have relented and have agreed to sell him if any club can cough up €50 million, nothing less than that.
Juventus were also interested but they are currently not in a position to pay as much and must depend on player sales. And the Denmark international’s agents are in dialogue with Sporting to let their client leave for around €30-40 million.
And United, encouraged with this development, have submitted an opening offer of €40 million. Morten Hjulmand would jump at the chance to reunite with his former coach, but the ball seems to be in Sporting’s court.
“Douglas Luiz is increasingly distant from Juve, who have focused on former Lecce player Morten Hjulmand, now captain of Sporting CP, in midfield. The idea is to find a solution for Douglas, who is being pursued by several Premier League clubs, and then push for the 1999-born player.
“The Dane has an €80 million release clause, and the Portuguese club is willing to lower it to €50 million, but not beyond that. That’s a lot, too much for Juventus, who must raise funds through transfers before making a concrete offer.
Price fall and new bid
“However, the player is pushing to leave, attempting to convince the club to lower their demands through dialogue: Hjulmand’s entourage estimates a fair valuation of around €30-40 million.
“Hjulmand’s development was also thanks to Ruben Amorim, who, when he was Sporting’s coach, put him at the center of the project. Today, the Portuguese is at Manchester United, who are looking for a player in that very area of the pitch.
“In recent days, the Red Devils have shown great interest in Hjulmand, submitting a €40 million offer. The 1999-born player would rush back to work in England with his former manager, but United also have to contend with Sporting’s desire.”
The 26-year-old would be the perfect acquisition for Amorim given his familiarity with the coach’s system and his ability to play as a deep-lying playmaker.
Whether INEOS have the money to pull off this operation remains to be seen. It must be remembered that United also need a striker and goalkeeper this summer.
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
