Manchester United is reportedly looking to sign Morten Hjulmand, a former player of Amorim, for €40 million! With budget constraints on acquiring a midfielder, they may again become a tool for driving up prices.

Despite Manchester United's summer spree on forwards, having signed Cunha and Mbeumo, they are now looking for a center forward. Yet, many argue that the midfield issue is more pressing, with all candidates appearing unsuitable for the 3-4-3 formation. Recently, rumors have surfaced about the club's interest in Hjulmand, a former player of Amorim at Sporting Lisbon.

The 26-year-old Hjulmand is a Danish international who joined Sporting from the Bundesliga side Lecce in 2023 and is now the captain. In Amorim's 3-4-3 formation, central midfielders must be versatile in both attack and defense, possessing excellent stamina. Currently, none of the players, whether it's veteran Casemiro, young Kobe Meno, retreating Bruno Fernandes, or Ugarte, who previously played for Amorim, fully meet these requirements.

Reportedly, Manchester United plans to loan out 21-year-old academy midfielder Toby Collier to facilitate the acquisition of a new midfielder. According to Italian outlet "Calciomercato," the Red Devils have made a €40 million offer to Sporting Lisbon for Hjulmand, indicating that the player is very keen to play for Amorim again. United fans are familiar with Hjulmand, as he was on the club's radar long before Amorim took charge.

However, the €40 million price tag is far below the psychological asking price of the Portuguese champions and is unlikely to be accepted. Hjulmand's release clause is set at €80 million, but demanding that amount is impractical; hence, Sporting's asking price is €50 million. Even if United offloads Collier, they cannot afford that sum, as the club currently lacks funds and needs to sell Sancho, Antony, and Garnacho to raise money, while none of those transfers have made substantial progress yet.

This summer, Manchester United spent £133.5 million on new signings, already exhausting £100 million of their transfer budget, along with the savings from loaning Rashford to Barcelona and the departures of Eriksen and Lindelof, whose contracts expired. At this moment, the club lacks the financial capacity to sign both Sesko and Hjulmand simultaneously.

Although Hjulmand fits the needs of Manchester United and Amorim well, the claim that the Red Devils want to sign him has not been mentioned by reputable transfer experts like David Ornstein from "The Athletic," Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, or Simon Stone from BBC, suggesting that this may currently be just a rumor.

Transfer reports from Italian media are often unreliable, and given that Juventus is a potential buyer for Hjulmand, this rumor might just be a tactic to inflate his price. It’s possible that the player's agent is trying to pressure "The Old Lady" into taking swift action, or that Sporting aims to increase the transfer fee.

It is said that Juventus has paused their pursuit because they are currently unable to meet Hjulmand's high asking price, relying instead on player sales to generate funds, which is quite similar to Manchester United's situation. Meanwhile, the Danish international's agent is negotiating with Sporting, hoping to secure a transfer for between €30 million and €40 million.

Leveraging Manchester United to enhance transfer possibilities is a common practice in the current market. A recent example is Colombian midfielder Richard Rios, who transferred from Brazil's Palmeiras to Benfica in the Portuguese league. He was linked with the Red Devils last year and has recently resurfaced in rumors, ultimately being signed by the Portuguese "Eagles" for €27 million, fulfilling his dream of entering European football.

Manchester United has also been closely linked with several other midfielders this summer, including Javier Gracia from Valencia, Wilfred Ndidi from Leicester City, and Douglas Luiz, whom Juventus is looking to offload. However, according to Romano, the priority for United right now is to secure a center forward and a goalkeeper, with midfield acquisitions not on the agenda in the short term.