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Arsenal have once again made contact for Sporting CP star Morten Hjulmand, according to a report, but the Gunners have been warned he is more likely to join Manchester United or Liverpool this summer.<\/p>\n
Hjulmand, Sporting\u2019s captain, has made 43 appearances for the Portuguese giants this season, chipping in with two goals and six assists. The midfielder has established himself as one of the Primeira Liga\u2019s best players, as he is a tenacious and fiery No 6 who excels in duels.<\/p>\n
Indeed, he regularly features in the 95th percentile for tackles won by midfielders across Europe.<\/p>\n
Hjulmand picked up interest last summer but agreed to stay at Sporting for one more season before securing a major transfer in 2026.<\/p>\n
CaughtOffside<\/em> claim Arsenal \u2018asked about\u2019 Hjulmand after beating Sporting in the Champions League quarter-finals. Mikel Arteta\u2019s side are also interested in his Sporting team-mates Ivan Fresneda and Ousmane Diomande, the report adds.<\/p>\n Hjulmand\u2019s deal includes an \u20ac80million (\u00a370m) exit clause, but Sporting are willing to sanction his exit for \u20ac60m (\u00a352m) this summer.<\/p>\n READ: Arsenal are elite bottlers who have broken Premier League ground \u2013 and they should be proud<\/strong><\/p>\n A source is quoted as saying: \u201cArsenal<\/strong> were in touch recently, Man Utd are also asking to be kept informed.<\/p>\n \u201cSporting have given clubs the signal \u2013 he has an \u20ac80m release clause, but start negotiations at around \u20ac60m and there\u2019s a chance he can go.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is their\u00a0model, and has been for a long time. They know this is a chance to make significant profit on the player, and he\u2019ll be keen to make the step up to a higher level as well.\u201d<\/p>\n However, the same source revealed in April that Man Utd and Liverpool are the two Premier League clubs \u2018leading the race\u2019 for Hjulmand<\/strong>.<\/p>\n This means Arsenal know exactly who they need to beat to snare the Denmark international.<\/p>\n The Gunners will likely have identified Hjulmand as a replacement for Christian Norgaard. The latter only arrived at the Emirates last summer but is expected to make a swift exit when the transfer window opens.<\/p>\n CaughtOffside\u2019s <\/em>latest report adds that Manchester City are also in the mix for Hjulmand.<\/p>\n The 26-year-old\u2019s future is seemingly tied to that of Nottingham Forest maestro Elliot Anderson.<\/p>\n For example, if City miss out on Anderson to United \u2013 which would be a surprise at this stage \u2013 then Pep Guardiola\u2019s side would enter talks for Hjulmand.<\/p>\n For United, Hjulmand is seen as a second, cheaper midfield capture after they make a statement signing first.<\/p>\n The Red Devils are keen on Brighton\u2019s Carlos Baleba, while they are also gauging whether Real Madrid might be willing to sell Aurelien Tchouameni or Federico Valverde.<\/p>\n READ NEXT: Liverpool most likely of Big Six clubs to sign \u2018fourth-choice\u2019 Mbappe<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/div>\nHjulmand could replace Norgaard at Arsenal<\/h2>\n