Atletico Madrid are closing in on Morten Hjulmand after Chelsea made a late higher offer, but the Spain move still looks strongest. Reports put the deal at about £34m, or €40million, and say Hjulmand is still set on joining Atletico. The move would give Atletico Madrid a five-year signing at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano.
Atletico's lead in the race
Cadena Ser reported that Atletico have agreed a fee of €40million (£34m) for the 27-year-old, which is the clearest sign yet that the deal is moving. The same report said Chelsea approached Hjulmand in recent hours with a higher financial offer to try to pull him to west London.
That late push has not changed the direction of travel. The strongest reading is still that Atletico have done the hard part, while Chelsea are left trying to overturn a deal that already has serious momentum.
Hjulmand's Sporting record
Hjulmand joined Sporting CP in 2023 and made 141 appearances for the club. He also helped Sporting win two Portuguese league titles and one Taça de Portugal, which explains why Atletico view him as more than a speculative signing.
The fee, the contract length and the record at Sporting all point in the same direction. This is not a short-term gamble for Atletico, and it is not the kind of move Chelsea normally expect to be losing when they arrive with a stronger offer.
For Hjulmand, the next step is the move to Madrid, with the official announcement now the only thing missing.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →