Tottenham boss Thomas Frank has been urged to sign Sporting midfielder Morten Hjulmand by Denmark legend Thomas Gravesen. But Sporting are prepared to stand firm during the summer transfer window, with suitors reportedly told that a successful bid would have to meet the value of his release clause.
Spurs have already secured the first signing of the Frank era, with Mathys Tel joining on a permanent basis after spending the second half of last season on loan from Bayern Munich. The club’s next priority could be to revamp the new manager’s options in defensive midfield – one of the weakest departments in the Tottenham squad.
The north Londoners are expected to go after an experienced head who can aid the development of young guns Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and Pape Sarr. And Sporting captain Hjulmand, 25, is one of the names to have been linked with the club in recent windows.
The Denmark international has made nearly 300 senior appearances for club and country, and at 6ft 1in tall, he is also a commanding physical presence. One of Frank and Hjulmand’s countrymen, Gravesen, believes that he would be an ideal signing for Spurs.
He told Viaplay: “He is a captain of calibre. Frank was with [Christian] Norgaard for several years [at Brentford], and Hjulmand is an improved version and is even younger. That is why I think Frank’s first big purchase for Tottenham should be Hjulmand.”
It remains to be seen whether Frank and the Tottenham higher-ups pay attention to Gravesen’s transfer pitch. According to Portuguese outlet A Bola, pursuing Hjulmand would come at a hefty price.
Sporting do not want to lose their midfield general in the same window they look set to offload star striker Viktor Gyokeres. As a result, a non-negotiable condition for every suitor is to shell out the entirety of Hjulmand’s £68m release clause.
Manchester United is another name that could emerge later in the window once they get around to bolstering their midfield options. Hjulmand worked with Ruben Amorim at Sporting and made no secret of the fact he was upset about the end of their working relationship.
“Many players wanted to stay at Sporting with Ruben Amorim because he is a great coach,” he said. “We feel disappointed with his departure.
“We were on a run of 11 consecutive wins and doing very well in the Champions League. Everything was very clear to everyone on the pitch. It was almost as if we were playing PlayStation. Everyone knew what they had to do. I told him in front of the other players that we were disappointed with his departure. We were counting on him.”
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