Atlético Madrid make their move, decide Hjulmand’s Sporting future | OneFootball

Atlético Madrid has secured the signing of midfielder Rodrigo Mendoza for 16 million euros, in what was the main deal on the last day of the winter transfer window in Spain, following rumors that placed Morten Hjulmand, Sporting’s captain, within the Spanish club’s sphere of interest.

The information, reported exclusively by Cadena SER, confirms the second major signing for the rojiblancos in this transfer window, after the arrival of Ademola Lookman, which means the green and whites can breathe a sigh of relief in the final hours of the market.

The closing of the La Liga transfer window, which takes place at midnight from Monday to Tuesday, was marked by several last-minute moves. Mateu Alemany, Atlético’s general manager, was involved in the negotiations to secure the signing of the midfielder from Elche.

It’s worth remembering that, during Sporting’s match against Nacional, it was mentioned that representatives close to Hjulmand informed the lions that they had received a proposal from Atlético Madrid worth 25 million euros, plus bonuses. Although no formal offer reached the Alvalade offices, the Sporting management decided to leave the captain out of the squad, with the aim of “protecting him”—as Rui Borges explained in the post-match press conference—from a possible intensification of pressure in the final hours of the transfer window.

This season, wearing the Sporting shirt, Morten Hjulmand – valued at 50 million euros – has played in 28 matches: 17 in Liga Portugal Betclic, seven in the Champions League, two in the Portuguese Cup, one in the League Cup, and one in the Super Cup. In the 2,522 minutes he has been on the pitch, the lions’ captain has scored two goals and provided three assists.

Watch the video of Sporting celebrating Hjulmand’s 100th game:

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