Arsenal and Manchester City hold an interest in Sporting midfielder Morten Hjulmand, who aimed a dig at the Gunners’ tactics when he faced them last season.
The Denmark international has been at Sporting since 2023, joining from Lecce worth around £18m.
The Portuguese side clearly thought they had snapped up someone with great potential as they put a release clause in his contract worth €80 million (£68.9m).
Hjulmand has been key to Sporting since then, racking up 142 appearances since his arrival, scoring 10 goals from his holding midfield role.
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After three seasons in Portugal, the 27-year-old is being linked with a big move to the Premier League, with both Arsenal and Manchester City reportedly keen on him.
Portuguese outlet A Bola report he is being ‘considered’ by the Gunners, while Hugo Viana, Manchester City’s director of football, is a big fan of the Dane.
Viana moved to the Etihad from Sporting last year, so is well aware of Hjulmand’s talents.
There is also interest in the midfielder from Italy, with his former manager Ruben Amorim keen on taking him to AC Milan.
However, with Champions League football not on the agenda next season, he appears out of reach for them this summer.
Sporting are reportedly ready to accept far less than the value of the release clause for Hjulmand, possibly as low as €40M (£34.5m).
Manchester United have also been touted as possible suitors for the Dane, although were not mentioned in the latest report from Portugal.
Arsenal may like the look of Hjulmand, but he was not thrilled with their tactics when Sporting took on the Gunners in the Champions League last season.
‘I think a lot stops during the game so we couldn’t get the rhythm that we wanted to. A little bit boring,’ he said.
‘If I was a viewer from outside 0-0, also the first game 1-0 it’s not the way Sporting wants to show itself. We want to score goals, create chances and we didn’t do it today.
‘During the game I felt a lot of stops, especially during set-pieces and it takes a lot of time out of the game.
‘When we did get the rhythm we did create a lot of chances, especially in the first half. But at the end we didn’t create enough to win the game to be honest.’
Despite these comments, A Bola state it would be ‘fulfilling a childhood dream’ for Hjulmand to play for Arsenal.