Manchester United And armory Recent weeks have been spent being presented as the leading contenders for Morten Hjulmand. However, the Sporting captain's transfer saga has developed a habit of changing directions every few days.
Recent Portuguese reports have pointed towards Manchester United and Arsenal. Both clubs were said to be frontrunners For Danish international.
This week there was one real madrid twist Following reports it was suggested that Jose Mourinho had identified Hjulmand as a target for a move to the Spanish giants.
Now another contender is back in the picture. And this time Atletico Madrid is said to be in its strongest position ever.
Atletico's claim changes the story
According to the news coming out spain And portugalAtletico Madrid has already reached an agreement with Hjulmand. Now they just need to convince Sporting.
sports worldCiting information from the Portuguese broadcaster antenna 1claims that Diego Simeone's team have practically agreed personal terms with the midfielder. Now they are preparing afresh for sporting.
If true, this would represent the most advanced development ever associated with any club associated with Hjulmand.
Atletico's previous attempt came during the January transfer window. The Spanish side were willing to offer around €25m (£21m) at the time. However, Sporting were never interested in discussing a deal at that stage.
The expectation now is that any serious offer would have to get very close to the figure already established between player and club.
Sports agreement remains central
Sporting are understood to have reached an informal agreement with Hjulmand, allowing him to leave this summer for around €40m-€50m (£34m-£43m), while the midfielder's official release clause is €80m (£69m).
That understanding has been mentioned repeatedly in Portuguese reports. And according to the latest claims, Atletico are fully aware of those conditions. They are preparing their next move accordingly.
Reports also state that the Madrid club are willing to triple Hjulmand's current salary at Sporting. This offer will meet the financial expectations of the player.
And if Atletico's latest move is as advanced as it is being reported, then Manchester United and Arsenal could suddenly find themselves chasing rather than leading.
