Manchester City and Manchester United have fought some huge battles over the decades, both on the pitch and in the transfer market.
As things stand, Manchester City are by far the bigger and better team, while their rivals have a lot of ground to make up.
City have enjoyed a fruitful summer on the transfer front, signing several exciting players including Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki and Sverre Nypan.
Now, a report from Portugal has claimed that City are among the clubs keen on a £70million midfielder who Ruben Amorim once called “fantastic”.
Manchester City in Morten Hjulmand race alongside Manchester United
The player in question is Morten Hjulmand, who has gone from strength to strength at Lisbon-based giants Sporting CP.
Portuguese outlet A Bola has reported that City are one of the clubs in the picture for Hjulmand, along with Man United.
They note how Hugo Viana swapped Sporting for City earlier this year, suggesting the Portuguese could be keen on raiding his former club.
Juventus are also fans of Hjulmand and, according to the report, made Sporting an offer of between £26-35million, which was rejected.
Sporting have reportedly made clear that any club that wants to sign Hjulmand will need to trigger his release clause of €80million (£70million).
What Morten Hjulmand could bring to Manchester City
Hjulmand has been a huge success story since swapping Italian side Lecce for Sporting in 2023.
He has registered 96 competitive appearances for Sporting, bagging seven goals and six assists in the process, and has also become their captain.
Scouting outlet Breaking the Lines has described Hjulmand as a ‘defensively intelligent midfielder who reads the game to a high level’.
They also said: ‘He’s not too aggressive to the point that makes him rash or pulls him out of position, but he’s very strong and tenacious in duels and positions his body well to win them, boasting great upper body strength as well.’
Amorim coached Hjulmand at Sporting and he previously said, as per The Mirror: “I love (Joao) Palhinha and (Manuel) Ugarte, but I would say that Hjulmand is the most complete player in his position.”
