Man Utd reignite interest in €80m England scourge as Ugarte, Amrabat alternative
Manchester United have reportedly reignited their interest in Sporting star Morten Hjulmand as an alternative to top target Manuel Ugarte.
Reports suggest United have ‘agreed personal terms’ with Ugarte, who is ‘keen on moving’ to Old Trafford, and there were even claims that the transfer was ‘about to be completed’.
However, there seems to be gap in terms of valuation with Man Utd currently unwilling to meet PSG’s €70m asking price for Ugarte.
That’s led to reports of a possible hijacking of AC Milan’s move for Youssouf Fofana, though Monaco have just doubled their asking price.
And now Football Transfers claim Hjulmand is again ‘under consideration’ as another alternative.
The report states that ‘Hjulmand is thought to be less aggressive than Ugarte and there is an appreciation of his good positional discipline and his experience working in a possession-based side’.
United were heavily linked with the Denmark international – who scored a stunning goal to earn a draw with England at Euro 2024 – in the January transfer window and even went as far as offering Facundo Pellistri in exchange.
But it’s strange that United’s interest remains given their reluctance to spend €70m on Ugarte as Hjulmand is protected by an €80m release clause, though there have been rumours that Sporting would accept players in exchange as well as a significant chunk of that transfer fee.
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Asked about the links to United back in April, Hjulmand said he was happy at Sporting having only moved to the Portuguese club from Lecce for £15m last summer.
“Estadio Jose Alvalade is a very special place to play. I feel at home,” he said.
“I knew the importance of the club in Portugal, and also in Europe, as Sporting has played in the Champions League and the Europa League many times.
“But it was after watching the first game, and after arriving here at the club, that I realised the importance of the club in Portugal. It was the right step and I’m very happy to be here.”
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has given his take on Manchester United’s search for a new midfielder and claims Ugarte is still top of their list, while they could also make a bid for Sofyan Amrabat despite not taking up the option of making his loan move permanent.
Romano said: “Manchester United had some conversations with Monaco to understand the availability of players like Youssouf Fofana and Vanderson, but my understanding is that, internally, the main names Man United are discussing for the midfield is PSG’s Manuel Ugarte, and Sofyan Amrabat.
“For Amrabat, they didn’t trigger the buy option, but it remains a possibility for them to discuss different terms with Fiorentina. And for Ugarte, they remain in conversations with Paris Saint-Germain, while they have an agreement with the player. I’m hearing there are contacts ongoing between Man United and PSG since June, not official bids accepted or rejected – it’s a constant dialogue between the clubs. Ugarte remains on Man United’s list and he said yes last week, so now it depends on Manchester United. But as I previously said, it was always going to take some days to decide after they spent big money on Leny Yoro.
“On Matthijs de Ligt, Bayern insist on €50m, but United want to pay add-ons as part of the structure, rather than €50m guaranteed. De Ligt keeps waiting for Man United and is hoping for the move, but at the moment outgoings are really important for the Red Devils, so it could take some time to see what happens between the clubs.
“Remember as well that this story also impacts Jonathan Tah, who has an agreement to join Bayern, but who is waiting for De Ligt to leave as part of the domino, so let’s see what happens, but the Dutch defender is waiting and hoping to join Man United.”