Man Utd ready to rival Man City for signing of second Sporting Lisbon star

Manchester United are interested in signing another of Ruben Amorim’s former Sporting Lisbon players, though they look set to miss out on a deal for Viktor Gyokeres

Manchester United are set to try and compete with Manchester City for the signature of the Sporting Lisbon midfielder, Morten Hjulmand before the summer is out.

Both clubs remain in the market for quality additions ahead of the new Premier League campaign and are keen on signing Hjulmand, 26, from Sporting. But they are not the only ones keen on the Danish midfielder, who has also been the subject of interest from Juventus.

A new report from Abola outlines that United are among the teams with a live interest in signing Hjulmand this summer.

Both United and City will know all about Hjulmand due to Ruben Amorim and Hugo Viana who both worked with the player at Sporting.

But a sticking price for either team could be the midfielder’s asking price, with Sporting determined to accept nothing less than the star’s €80million (£69.2m) release clause.

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The report outlines that stance has already deterred interest from Juventus, who had attempted to strike a deal worth €30m-40m through intermediaries.

Hjulmand is the second Sporting player that Manchester United have been linked with this week amid claims in the Portuguese press that they were close to hijacking Arsenal’s swoop for Viktor Gyokeres.

But while Amorim has made no secret of his admiration for Gyokeres – and would love to reunite with him in Manchester – the Sweden international is only advancing in talks with Arsenal.

United are expected to target a new striker after finalising a deal for Bryan Mbeumo, who should be officially unveiled on Monday.

Gyokeres, though, is Arsenal-bound unless something drastic occurs in the coming days. The Gunners and Sporting have yet to agree on the final details of a financial package for the striker, who plundered a remarkable 54 goals last season.

The player may have his heart set on a move to Arsenal but Frederico Varandas, Sporting’s president, continues to insist he will not leave on the cheap. “If they don’t want to pay Viktor’s fair market value, we’re very comfortable with that for the next three years,” he said recently.

“This strategy is also making it more complicated for the player to leave. Nobody is above the interests of the club. Whoever they are. We’re calm. Everything will be resolved with the market closing, a hefty fine and an apology to the group.”

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