Arsenal competing with Man Utd to sign £34m midfielder after transfer agreement reached

Morten Hjulmand is wanted by Arsenal and Manchester United (Allstar via Getty)

Arsenal and Manchester United are competing to sign Sporting CP captain Morten Hjulmand, according to reports in Portugal .

Hjulmand joined Sporting in a €21 million (£18.1m) deal from Lecce in 2023 and the Denmark international has helped the club win consecutive Portuguese league titles.

The 26-year-old, who operates as a holding midfielder, has also been named in the Primeira Liga Team of the Year for the past two seasons.

According to Correio da Manha , Hjulmand is attracting interest from both Arsenal and United and the midfielder’s departure is now ‘gaining momentum’.

The report claims that Hjulmand came close to leaving Sporting last summer but opted to stay on the agreement that he would be allowed to leave this summer for around €40m (£34.9m).

Morten Hjulmand faced Arsenal in the Champions League this season (Action Images via Reuters)

Hjulmand still has two years remaining on his contract with Sporting, which also includes an €80m (£69.8m) release clause.

Speaking on Friday, Sporting CP head coach, Rui Borges conceded that the club are likely to sell players this summer.

‘Regarding the transfer market, it’s what happens every year. Some leave and others come in,’ he said.

‘I’m very focused on tomorrow’s game because it’s very important. Although we didn’t achieve our main objective, now we want to finish second to qualify for the Champions League .’

Manchester United are in the market to sign at least one new central midfielder this summer with Casemiro set to leave Old Trafford as a free agent at the end of the season.

United have considered several options including Nottingham Forest ’s Elliot Anderson , Crystal Palace ’s Adam Wharton, Brighton’s Carlos Baleba, West Ham’s Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali from Newcastle United.