According to Portuguese newspaper A BOLA, neither AC Milan nor Juventus — the two Serie A clubs most strongly linked with Hjulmand in recent months — are expected to make a move. Milan know Hjulmand well through manager Rúben Amorim, who worked with the Dane at Sporting, but cannot afford the fee in a window where attacking reinforcements are the priority. Juventus have dropped out due to financial constraints and concern that Hjulmand's strong personality could create a hierarchy conflict alongside captain Manuel Locatelli.
That narrows the realistic suitors to the Premier League, where Arsenal and Manchester City are described by A BOLA as the two most actively engaged clubs.
The Gunners' interest has a childhood dimension — Hjulmand is a lifelong Arsenal supporter — and sporting director Andrea Berta has made enquiries. City's pursuit is driven by sporting director Hugo Viana, a Portuguese himself and a knowledgeable admirer of the midfielder's characteristics who has followed him closely throughout his time in Lisbon.
Sporting hold an informal understanding with Hjulmand, reached after the club blocked his exit in the winter window, that he will be allowed to leave at the end of the season for a fee well below his release clause. A BOLA places the acceptable range at between €40m and €50m depending on the structure of any offer.
Hjulmand turns 27 on Thursday. He made 43 appearances for Sporting last season, contributing two goals and six assists while captaining the club. He joined from Lecce in the summer of 2023 and his contract at Sporting runs until 2028.
A move this summer would represent the culmination of a career arc that took him from Danish youth football through Austrian and Italian club football before establishing him as one of Portugal's best midfielders.