Atletico Madrid is reportedly closing in on the matter of buying Sporting Lisbon’s defensive midfielder Morten Hjulmand in a €40 million deal.
The Danish international rose to prominence during his time in Portugal, and it is no surprise that he has now been snapped up by a major club in the most competitive league.
We were previously informed that Arsenal were among the clubs to inquire about Hjulmand, and it makes sense as the Gunners have been in the market for a new midfielder.
DOWNLOAD THE CAUGHTOFFSIDE APP WITH ALL THE LATEST UPDATES AND RELEASES – DIRECT TO YOUR DEVICE! ON APPLE & GOOGLE PLAY
With Hjulmand now only going for €40m, according to Fabrizio Romano, it looks like Arsenal have missed out on a good deal, with Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes likely to cost more than that…
???? UPDATE: Morten Hjulmand goes to Atlético Madrid, here we go! ???
Sporting and Atléti have agreed terms and began exchanging papers today for €40m plus add-ons.
The Danish midfielder joins until June 2031 and will fly to Madrid TODAY. ?? pic.twitter.com/DoYps2edfJ
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 9, 2026
Posting on X this morning, Romano said: “RESULT: Morten Hjulmand goes to Atlético Madrid, here we go! Sporting and Atléti have agreed terms and began exchanging papers today for €40m plus add-ons. The Danish midfielder joins until June 2031 and will fly to Madrid TODAY. “
This can be considered a done deal at this point, barring any late surprises, so Arsenal will now have to hope other targets emerge.
Want more CaughtOffside coverage? Add us as the preferred source is Google in your favorites list for news you can trust
Arsenal focused on Guimaraes but could Hjulmand have been better?
Guimaraes has been proven by the Premier League, and it’s fair to say that clubs may see fit to pay more for that as you never know how a player from the Portuguese league will adapt to the big step up in terms of quality and physicality in the English top flight.
Ultimately, it remains to be seen how much AFC end up paying Guimaraes for him, but in a post yesterday Romano suggested it could reach £90m…
???? Arsenal are preparing a new bid for Bruno Guimarães: Arteta wants him. ??
£55m has already been rejected, a second option on the £65m package has also been rejected – between £65m and £90m would speed up negotiations.
Bruno told Newcastle last week he wants to leave the #AFC but won’t create… pic.twitter.com/DPa3QyMJpE
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 8, 2026
If it’s closer to £65-70m, that would be good business for the Premier League champions, but anything more than that is also a huge sum for a player who turns 29 later this year.
Hjulmand is new and very cheap, so it would be a smart little business if they followed through on their passion.
