Atlético Madrid spend €40m to land Sporting’s captain Hjulmand

Atlético Madrid have completed their second major summer signing. After Alejandro Grimaldo arrived from Bayer Leverkusen, Los Rojiblancos have now agreed a €40 million deal for Morten Hjulmand. The Spanish top-flight side confirmed the arrival of the 27-year-old Danish midfielder on Saturday morning. Sporting Portugal, where Hjulmand had captained the side, had already indicated his departure was imminent in recent days. The reported transfer fee stands at €40 million, with additional potential bonuses yet to be disclosed. The exact value of those add-ons remains unknown at this stage.

Simeone’s gamble on Danish prodigy Hjulmand reshapes Atlético midfield

For Hjulmand, Atlético represents his fifth professional club. The midfielder began in the youth ranks at FC Kopenhagen before joining Admira Wacker in Austria in the summer of 2018 on a free transfer. Three years later, he moved to US Lecce for a reported €2.5 million. Sporting paid €19.5 million to sign Hjulmand from Lecce in the summer of 2023. Now, after just one season in Portugal, he is set to join Atlético Madrid. Atlético’s incoming business began with Grimaldo, who arrived from Bayer Leverkusen for €22 million. On the outgoing side, Antoine Griezmann left on a free transfer to Orlando City, while Clément Lenglet has been loaned to Benfica.