Manager responds to Man Utd interest in €80m midfielder: 'As for United...'

Tom Weber
Tom Weber
  • Updated: 22 Oct 2025 16:46 BST
  • 4 min read
Ruben Amorim, Man Utd
© IMAGO

Ruben Amorim's successor at Sporting CP, Rui Borges, has responded to Manchester United's interest in captain Morten Hjulmand.

Article continues under the video

The Red Devils will be in the market for at least one new midfielder in 2026 and have drawn up a long list of potential targets. Brighton youngster Carlos Baleba is still believed to be Amorim's preferred option, but he is likely to command a fee north of €100 million.

Cheaper alternatives are therefore being explored, and Sporting CP captain Hjulmand is once again being associated with a move to Old Trafford. Amorim previously hailed his former protégé as being a more complete midfielder than his predecessors Manuel Ugarte and Joao Palhinha.

Current ETV
Player image Morten Hjulmand 
Morten Hjulmand 

DM, M (C)

Sporting CP logo

Sporting CP

Morten Hjulmand 
Morten Hjulmand 

DM, M (C)

Sporting CP

Sporting CP

€54.9M

ETV Range

€49.4M - €60.4M

Man Utd already held a tentative interest in the Denmark international in the summer, but Sporting were unwilling to lose another key player after Viktor Gyokeres and pointed to his €80 million release clause.

Naturally, Man Utd were reluctant to pay that much, given that they had already spent €250m on new attackers despite operating on a limited budget. The Red Devils are now said to be confident that they could land Hjulmand in 2026 on a cut-price deal.

Borges responds to Hjulmand's Man Utd links

It has been claimed that Man Utd are optimistic that they could get Sporting to accept less than €60m for their captain in January, despite his importance to the Portuguese giants.

Hjulmand would have been open to a move to Old Trafford in the summer, which could work in Man Utd's favour in the next transfer window. However, Sporting boss Rui Borges insists that he is not giving any thought to January business in October.

Morten Hjulmand
© IMAGO - Morten Hjulmand

Speaking at a press conference ahead of Sporting's clash with Marseille, the Portuguese was bombarded with queries and jokingly responded: “A lot of questions! Hjulmand is Hjulmand. Our leader, captain.

"He won’t always be at his best, but he’s always important. He demands a lot of himself and of his teammates every day. As for United, it’s October, and I’m focused on Marseille.”

Football transfer news headlines today

Chelsea signed the WRONG striker as manager admits: I’ve never seen a No.9 play like that

Man Utd solve €90m problem as Casemiro U-turn decision announced

Chelsea add 33 players to Champions League squad ahead of Ajax clash

Fabrizio Romano confirms Man Utd ‘in talks’ over major deal

The FootballTransfers app

Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.

The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:

Google Play

App Store

Never miss the next big transfer!

Get the latest transfer insights and analyses directly in your mailbox.