Chelsea offer Hjulmand a ‘better contract’ at last minute – Atletico still confident of transfer

Chelsea have made a late attempt to hijack Morten Hjulmand’s move to Atletico Madrid, but reports from Spain suggest the Sporting captain remains determined to complete his move to Diego Simeone’s side.

It marks another twist in one of the summer’s longest-running transfer stories.

We have followed Hjulmand’s situation throughout the past few months as Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Milan all appeared in the conversation at different stages.

Now, though, the saga finally appears to be approaching its conclusion.

How the story developed

When the summer began, Manchester City looked to have an obvious advantage. Hugo Viana, the executive who signed Hjulmand from Lecce in 2023, had already taken charge of City’s recruitment and the midfielder was one of the names discussed as part of the club’s midfield rebuild.

Attention then shifted towards England more broadly. Portuguese reports repeatedly described Arsenal as one of Hjulmand’s preferred Premier League destinations, with the move carrying extra significance because of the player’s well-known affection for the Gunners.

Manchester United also remained in the picture. But Italy threatened to become a realistic option as Juventus and later Milan were linked.

Those routes gradually faded. Juventus stepped back because of financial priorities, while Milan never progressed beyond speculation despite Amorim’s admiration for his former captain.

The biggest twist came from Atletico Madrid. Initially, Portuguese newspaper A Bola dismissed Spanish claims that the player had already agreed to join Diego Simeone.

Just days later, however, the same newspaper reported exactly the opposite. First came the agreement with Hjulmand, then Atletico officially approached Sporting.

Soon afterwards, Sporting president Frederico Varandas confirmed the Spanish club had already submitted an offer, although he revealed it had been rejected because it fell well below Sporting’s valuation.

Chelsea make late move

Now Cadena SER report that negotiations have accelerated dramatically. According to journalist Pedro Fullana, Atletico and Sporting have now reached an agreement worth around €40m (£34m), after previously settling personal terms on a five-year contract with Hjulmand.

However, the report adds that in recent hours, Chelsea has emerged, ready to try and change the course of negotiations.

“They offered him a better contract for the future,” Fullana stated, explaining that the the Blues has tried to convince the player with a higher financial offer.

He claims Chelsea are still pressing and intend to do so until the very last minute. Despite that, Atletico remain completely confident.

Cadena SER claim Hjulmand has already chosen Atletico and has even been willing to sacrifice part of the salary he could have earned in England in order to play under Simeone.

A saga that may finally be ending

Given how many times this story has changed direction, some caution is still feels sensible until everything is signed. But this is unquestionably the strongest reporting yet.

For weeks, the race involved Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal and several clubs across Spain and Italy.

Today, according to Cadena SER, only one club believes the outcome is no longer in doubt. And Chelsea’s late intervention has done little to change that confidence.