According to Portuguese outlet A Bola, Sporting CP midfielder Morten Hjulmand dreams of playing for Arsenal.
The Denmark international has been a key player for Sporting CP over the past three seasons, but he is widely expected to leave.
Juventus were credited with an interest in signing him last summer, but the midfielder decided to stay with Sporting CP with a gentleman’s agreement to depart in 12 months.
A Bola now claim that the Premier League path remains ‘very active’ for Hjulmand. He could be considered by the Gunners. The Dane has a childhood ‘dream of playing’ for them.
The former Lecce man has a £69 million release clause in his Sporting CP contract, but will be permitted to leave for a package between £34 million and £43 million this summer.
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Arsenal signed Christian Norgaard and Martin Zubimendi to reinforce their defensive midfield options last summer. Zubimendi was ever-present for most of the campaign until the closing stages when he lost form and appeared fatigued. Myles Lewis-Skelly got the nod over him to partner Declan Rice in the final weeks of the previous season.
Manager Mikel Arteta had the option to rely on Norgaard too, but the Dane played just over 100 minutes in the top-flight campaign. He was occasionally utilised in other competitions, but the lack of trust was quite visible. Norgaard has been linked with a possible exit, which could materialise if Arsenal were to sign a marquee defensive midfielder.
Hjulmand would be a fantastic acquisition for the Gunners. He has been one of the most consistent midfielders in the Portuguese top-flight and has also excelled on the Champions League stage. He had a passing accuracy of 93% in Europe during the 2025/26 season and also grabbed the eye with his defensive contributions for the Lisbon heavyweights.
The Dane won almost 6 duels per European game with 2 tackles and 5 recoveries. He is a complete package as a holding midfielder and would be a bargain signing for the reported price. Hjulmand is very open to joining the Gunners and the question remains whether the Premier League champions will make a formal approach for his services.
