Arsenal target Hjulmand as Sporting reject Atletico bid for £43m midfielder

Arsenal have identified Sporting Lisbon captain Morten Hjulmand as a potential midfield signing after the Portuguese club rejected an offer from Atletico Madrid, opening the door for the Premier League champions to make their move.

Sporting president Frederico Varandas confirmed the club had turned down Atletico’s approach, stating it fell well short of their valuation. “We received an offer from Atletico Madrid, which we rejected. It’s a long way from the value we want,” Varandas told Portuguese outlet O Jogo. “We have established a fair value, appropriate for his age, his position and the years he has spent at Sporting. Both the player and his agents know that value. Anything below it and the player stays.”

Reports suggest Hjulmand could be available for around £43 million, though Sporting’s release clause is understood to be set at approximately £69 million. Arsenal’s pursuit of Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes has proven difficult, pushing the Danish defensive midfielder up their list of alternatives.

The 27-year-old is reportedly eager to test himself in the Premier League, and a move to Arsenal would carry particular personal significance. Hjulmand grew up with posters of Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira on his walls and has the club’s crest tattooed on his shoulder.

Arsenal already have a recent precedent for doing business with Sporting, having beaten rival clubs to sign Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres from the Lisbon club 12 months ago. Mikel Arteta’s side will need to meet Sporting’s asking price to repeat that success, given Varandas’s firm public stance.

Hjulmand would provide additional depth alongside Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi, the latter having been signed last summer after Arsenal won the race for his signature a year after he had turned down Liverpool to remain at Real Sociedad. Arteta is also weighing his options with uncertainty surrounding Christian Norgaard’s future at the club, while Myles Lewis-Skelly has been deployed in midfield after forcing his way back into contention.