Arteta laughing as Fabrizio Romano reveals shining Man Utd target supports Arsenal

Manchester United look set for disappointment in their hunt to sign Sporting CP star Morten Hjulmand, as transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has stated the player actually supports Arsenal and would rather move to the Emirates.

Hjulmand is a 24-year-old central midfielder who spent time at Copenhagen and Austrian club Admira Wacker before landing at Lecce in January 2021. Hjulmand soon established himself as one of Lecce’s most important players and eventually became their captain.

Unfortunately for the Italian side, they always knew Hjulmand would only be passing through as he had the potential to go on and reach bigger and better things. The Dane was linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur, but he instead landed at Sporting last summer.

Sporting paid €18million to sign Hjulmand, tying him down to a five-year contract in the process.

The player has walked straight into Sporting’s starting lineup, having played in 32 of their 34 games so far this term.

Hjulmand could have a very successful debut season in Portugal, with Sporting battling Benfica and Porto for the Primeira Liga title. Ruben Amorim’s side remain in the Europa League and Portuguese cup, too.

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However, Sporting might end up selling some of their best players again this summer, and Hjulmand is right up there as a transfer target for major clubs. It recently emerged that Man Utd are taking a look at him as a possible long-term replacement for the ageing Casemiro.

Romano has now provided his take on the three-cap international’s situation. He states that while Man Utd might be monitoring Hjulmand, there are no ‘concrete’ talks at this stage.

Arsenal could beat Man Utd to signing

But if Arsenal express an interest in signing Hjulmand they will likely beat Man Utd to his services, as he is a fan of the Gunners.

“Linked with Manchester United after some fine form this season, Morten Hjulmand has been scouted but there’s nothing concrete at the moment,” Romano said in his Daily Briefing column. “He also had admirers at Lecce, but there’s nothing serious happening at the moment. It’s also true that he’s an Arsenal fan!”

Despite being linked with Man Utd and Spurs, it seems Hjulmand would rather shine for Mikel Arteta’s side when moving to the Premier League in the future.

It would also make sense if Hjulmand rejected Man Utd for Arsenal, given where the two clubs are right now. While Man Utd are languishing in sixth place, Arsenal remain in the mix for the title and are only two points behind leaders Liverpool.

Of course, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has big plans now that he has purchased a 25 per cent stake in Man Utd, with the British billionaire looking to make some statement signings over the summer. But it took Ratcliffe and his INEOS team plenty of time to improve Nice, so there is no guarantee Man Utd will become genuine title challengers in the next couple of years.

With Arteta on the lookout for a new defensive midfielder who can replace Thomas Partey, Hjulmand may end up being the perfect option.

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