Updated: 10 Jul 2026 14:26 BST |
4 min read
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Chelsea made a late attempt to hijack Morten Hjulmand’s move from Sporting CP to Atletico Madrid, according to a Spanish journalist.
After being repeatedly linked with a transfer to the Premier League, the Denmark international will end up in LaLiga. Hjulmand has agreed terms on a five-year contract with Atletico Madrid and will join from Sporting in a €40 million deal.
A transfer was virtually inevitable this summer. Last year, the 27-year-old stayed at Sporting despite strong interest from Man Utd and other suitors. The Lisbon club recognised that this was not an easy decision for their captain and thus allowed him to leave for a reasonable fee this time around.
There had reportedly been talks with Arsenal – his boyhood club – while Man Utd were also credited with a fresh tentative interest, but over the past week or so, it increasingly became clear that Hjulmand would move to Atleti.
Last week, Sporting president Frederico Varandas confirmed that discussions were in full swing with the Spanish giants and that an opening offer had already been rejected. Now, a deal has been wrapped up – but there was a late hijack attempt.
Chelsea tried to hijack Hjulmand
According to journalist Pedro Fullana, speaking on Cadena SER, Chelsea made a last-minute proposal to Hjulmand to get him to reconsider his move to Atleti.
Fullana claims that the Blues “offered him a better contract for the future,” but the Dane was seemingly not receptive to the approach and already had his heart set on joining the Rojiblancos. His Arsenal allegiance may have also played a part in his decision.
The money Chelsea offered was “significantly” higher than what he is due to earn at Atleti. The hijack attempt was futile, however, with the journalist affirming that Hjulmand’s move to the Spanish capital was never in doubt.
Discussions between Atleti, Sporting and Hjulmand accelerated rapidly earlier this week, resulting in a full agreement on Thursday. At that point, it was already too late for Chelsea to meaningfully stand a chance of swooping for the midfielder.
The interest from the Stamford Bridge club is interesting, though, given that they have just sold Andrey Santos to Man Utd, while there is uncertainty over the future of Enzo Fernandez.
Xabi Alonso pivoting from Granit Xhaka to Hjulmand illustrates that he is desperate to sign a real leader with big-game experience for his engine room. Chelsea will now have to look for a new midfield target.
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