Atlético Madrid sign Sporting captain Morten Hjulmand for €40m
Diego Simeone lands his long-sought defensive midfielder, with the Denmark international joining from Sporting on a deal to 2031 for well below his €80m release clause.
Jul 12, 2026
Atlético Madrid have signed Morten Hjulmand, handing Diego Simeone the defensive midfielder he has chased for much of the summer. The Sporting captain joins for a fixed €40 million plus €5 million in add-ons, and the Denmark international has agreed a contract that runs until June 2031 after completing a medical in the Spanish capital.
A price well below the clause
The fee is the part worth dwelling on. Hjulmand’s Sporting deal carried an €80 million release clause and ran until 2028, so on paper Atlético have landed him for half of what it would have taken to trigger it. Sporting did not fold at the first approach, turning down a €35m bid before the clubs settled at €40m up front. It is still a sizeable outlay for a holding midfielder, but for a 27-year-old with Champions League minutes behind him, Atlético will feel the number is a fair one.
From Lecce to a Sporting double
Hjulmand’s climb has been steady rather than sudden. He joined Lecce in 2021 and helped them into Serie A, where he was given the armband at 23, the second-youngest captain in the league’s history behind Francesco Totti. Sporting took him to Lisbon in 2023, and he racked up more than 140 appearances, won two Portuguese league titles and lifted a domestic cup, wearing the captain’s armband there as well. For a player who spent his early career away from the elite leagues, that is a lot of silverware in a short window.
What he gives Simeone
Atlético had weighed up other names, Wolves midfielder João Gomes among them, before committing to Hjulmand. What they get is a screen in front of the back line, a player who breaks up attacks and keeps the ball moving rather than one who charges forward. He steps into a group that already has Koke, Pablo Barrios and Johnny Cardoso, so the signing reads as depth for a long season more than a nailed-on starting spot. That suits the type Simeone tends to trust: disciplined, positionally sharp, and happy to do the work that rarely makes the highlight reels.