Sporting set asking price for Morten Hjulmand this transfer window | OneFootball

The exclusion of Morten Hjulmand from the match against Nacional caused widespread surprise, and the initial explanation of personal reasons did not dispel doubts, especially with the transfer window still open. There was no formal offer for his departure from Sporting, neither on Sunday nor the following day, but before the game against the team from Madeira, his agents informed him of an alleged interest, information that ended up influencing the player and was only clarified when he realized that the situation had been communicated to him incorrectly. Still, for a transfer in this winter window, the required amount would be the release clause, set at 80 million euros.

Apart from the 2-1 victory against Nacional, the Hjulmand case drew attention due to the absence of the captain in matchday 20 following an approach. Rui Borges explained that the decision to leave 'number 42' out of the squad was intended to protect the player and confirmed that he would return to training on Monday, which ended up happening.

What reached Sporting, through the player’s representatives, was merely an inquiry about the possible chance of a proposal in the region of 30 million euros, allegedly from Atlético de Madrid, a scenario that the club’s management assured did not correspond to reality. The situation once again raised alarms at Alvalade, recalling what happened in the summer, when an approach from Juventus also came through the agents.

That episode led, at the close of the summer transfer window, to a conversation between the player and President Frederico Varandas. It was then established that he would stay until the end of the 2025/2026 season, after which the club would be open to listening to offers. However, no commitment to sell was made nor was an exact value set, only a willingness to negotiate for amounts in the region of 50 million euros.

Thus, in this winter transfer window, the only way for a possible departure of the midfielder would be the full payment of the 80 million euro release clause stipulated in the contract, which serves as a reference even outside the period when it is active – in the summer, it is valid until June 15.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.