Morten Hjulmand has been linked with Manchester United (Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)
Manchester United have reportedly identified Sporting Lisbon defensive midfielder Morten Hjulmand as a possible cheap alternative to Carlos Baleba.
Man Utd are continuing to pursue Baleba as a top priority this summer, but he surely won’t come cheap, so other options may be required.
One of those is Hjulmand, who could cost around £50m, whereas Baleba’s asking price is as much as £120m, according to the Sun.
Baleba is younger and also has experience in the Premier League to his name already, so it makes sense that he perhaps has a higher market value, even if £120m seems a bit steep.
Hjulmand for £50m might not be as smart an investment for the long term, but the Denmark international is a fine player whom Ruben Amorim knows well.
Morten Hjulmand on Manchester United’s radar
Morten Hjulmand in action for Sporting in pre-season (Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)
The Sun report that Hjulmand remains on Amorim’s radar, so it will be interesting to see if he ends up being the most realistic option.
Brighton do tend to cash in on their star names eventually, with Moises Caicedo, Alexis Mac Allister and Joao Pedro among their recent high-profile sales to bigger clubs.
Baleba could well be next, but it’s also hard to see United paying £120m for the Cameroon international after already spending a lot of money this summer by bringing in Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha, and Bryan Mbeumo.
Hjulmand to be reunited with Amorim?
Hjulmand is surely an option worth exploring as he’d cost less than half that, and probably wouldn’t take long to slot in to Amorim’s demands after they worked together in Lisbon.
CaughtOffside have also previously been informed of United’s interest in Hjulmand, though Juventus also appreciate the 26-year-old.
Portuguese outlet Record have also previously reported on Hjulmand being scouted by both United and Tottenham.
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