Manchester United’s plans to strengthen their defense and midfield this summer are proving to be unexpectedly costly as they target players from the Portuguese leagues. Specifically, Sporting CP has placed high release clauses on their key players, including midfielders Martin Hjulmand and João Neves, and defenders Gonçalo Inácio and Antonio Silva. Sporting has explicitly stated they will not sell Hjulmand unless his release clause of €80 million is met, and similarly high valuations are attached to the others, such as Inácio’s €60 million. These prices pose substantial financial hurdles for Manchester United, given the club’s policy of not spending more than £60 million on single players this transfer window. Additionally, competition for signings is fierce, with other clubs like Liverpool also expressing concrete interest in players such as Inácio. Despite the high demands, it is typical for Portuguese clubs to start negotiations with high asking prices, which might potentially be negotiated down as the transfer window progresses.
