Man Utd & Arsenal to Battle Over Transfer Long-Term Target

Manchester United are set for a busy summer transfer window. They have been linked with a host of top talents – recently, they have seemingly revived their interest in Sporting CP’s Morten Hjulmand.

However, United are not alone in their pursuit of the player. According to a recent report from CaughtOffside, Arsenal are also thought to be in the race, as are local rivals Manchester City.

On top of this, Italian giants Juventus have also been linked with a move for the player – as such, United have plenty to think about.

Furthermore, any club looking to snap Hjulmand up must understand that he will not be inexpensive. He is under contract until the summer of 2028, meaning that Sporting are under no immediate pressure to cash in on his services.

Hjulmand has a release clause of just under £70 million in his contract, but Sporting could let him go for as little as £52 million in the summer.

Morten Hjulmand 2025/26 stats (all competitions)

Hjulmand’s goalscoring record is somewhat underwhelming, but this isn’t his key attribute. He’s a battling midfielder with strong technical ability – in that regard, he is tailor-made for the Premier League.

He is also Sporting’s team captain. United’s current captain, Bruno Fernandes, is reaching his prime years – could Hjulmand be a long-term replacement for him as team leader?

Previously, Hjulmand has played for Admira Wacker and Lecce, before he made the jump to Sporting in 2023. Since then, he has won two league titles with the Portuguese club, winning back-to-back Primeira Liga titles in 2024 and 2025. They are, however, set to miss out on Portugal’s biggest prize to Porto this year.

At the age of 26, Hjulmand is approaching his prime years. If there was any time to sign the Danish international, it is now.

Of course, United have other transfer targets in mind, such as Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson. It stands to reason that they will sign one or the other – it will be too costly to bring both on board.

Who needs him the most?

United will need to sign a defensive midfielder in the summer. Casemiro is set to leave the club at the end of the season, while Manuel Ugarte has largely underwhelmed during his Old Trafford stint so far.

Arsenal, meanwhile, have two of the best defensive midfielders in the squad at the moment. Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi have both been outstanding this season – if Hjulmand opts to make the jump to the Emirates Stadium during the transfer window, he risks being lost in the mix.

Manchester City, meanwhile, are not quite as blessed at defensive midfield as they once were. Following his major ACL injury, Rodri is clearly not the player he once was.

Nico Gonzalez has performed an admirable job when called upon, but he isn’t on the level of Rice or Zubimendi. In many ways, Hjulmand could be an upgrade upon what the Citizens already have at their disposal.