Man Utd offer Pellistri in exchange for Sporting star

Stuart Telford

• 11 Jan 2024 13:49 GMT
• 3 min read

Manchester United want to sign Morten Hjulmand from Sporting CP and have offered the Portuguese giants Facundo Pellistri in part-exchange.

United are in the market for a new defensive midfielder with Sofyan Amrabat failing to impress since joining on loan from Fiorentina and new minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe reportedly keen to offload the club's highest earner, Casemiro.

Ratcliffe is to be given 'sporting control' at Old Trafford, with the INEOS chief given final word on player recruitment.

United have reportedly watched Hjulmand in action on six separate occasions this season, and his is a profile Ratcliffe is happy for the Red Devils to pursue.

"Manchester United have offered Facundo Pellistri in a swap deal for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Morten Hjulmand," report Steve Brenner and Dylan Terry for The Sun.

"[However] the bid has been rejected by the Portuguese club as they wait on the Red Devils to trigger his £69 million release clause."

Pellistri is valued at €6.2m by FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm, so he is unlikely to take too much off Hjulmand's asking price, with his release clause is far in excess of the €18.3m he is valued add.

The real key to United completing a deal could be the fact that he would have a pair of Denmark teammates waiting for him in the Old Trafford dressing room in Christian Eriksen and Rasmus Hojlund.

Indeed, the former is understood to act as a mentor for Hjulmand when they are on international duty.

How good is Hjulmand?

Hjulmand joined Sporting from Lecce €18m in August and has since started 13 of a possible 16 games to help them to the top of the Primeira Liga.

Although he has a goal and an assist to his name, hie does his best work on the edge of his own box, from where he has averaged more than two interceptions per 90 minutes this season - more than any player in his position Europe-wide.