Tottenham interested in $80m star with an Arsenal tattoo

Tottenham Hotspur have endured a tricky 2024/25 campaign, not helped by a series of injuries to key players. There has been some criticism of Spurs' transfer policy in recent years and they are looking to strengthen this summer, but one of their potential targets has an unfortunate affiliation.

Sporting CP midfielder Morten Hjulmand will be familiar to some Spurs fans as the scorer of a brilliant long-range goal for Denmark against England at Euro 2024. His dynamic displays in Portugal have won him a lot of suitors around Europe. Tottenham, however, are probably not his first choice of Premier League destination.

A Reddit post from last year shows Hjulman wearing a vest in Sporting training, exposing what looks like an old-school Arsenal crest tattoo on his left shoulder.

In an interview with Portuguese publication Record, Hjulman revealed his North London links: “My dad supported Arsenal and we watched games together when we were younger.”

How much would Morten Hjulmand cost?

Despite having made his professional debut in 2018, Hjulmand is still only 25 years old and could be a good fit for Postecoglou’s high-intensity style of play. The Danish midfielder impressed during a two-year stint with Lecce and earnt a move to Sporting, where he has been for the past two seasons.

This season Hjulmand was promoted to club captain and he is a major part Sporting’s future. As such, his latest Sporting contract includes a massive €80 million release clause that Spurs look very unlikely to pay. The current record transfer is the €64 million paid last summer for Dominic Solanke, a striker with considerable Premier League experience.

Transfermarkt puts Hjulmand’s actual value at around €45 million, a much more realistic figure for Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy to hit. But Sporting are top of the Liga Portugal, despite the mid-season departure of head coach Ruben Amorim to Manchester United, so they will be holding out for big fee if they choose to let Hjulmand leave in the summer.

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