Leeds were supposedly competing for the £18 million enforcer in January, but he’s currently flourishing with the league leaders.

Leeds United were interested in signing Danish midfielder Morten Hjulmand from Italian club Lecce in January.

But he has since joined Sporting Lisbon and is playing for Ruben Amorim‘s title-chasing side.

Hjulmand, 24, shone for Lecce in Italy, providing the midfield backbone in the club’s promotion back to Serie A. In January, his form drew the interest of several teams.

According to the Italian newspaper Gazzetta Dello Sport, Jose Mourinho wanted him at Roma, while Borussia Dortmund was interested. Rudy Galetti had previously stated that Leeds were among his fans.

But he stayed in Lecce until the summer, helping them stay in first place with a 16th-place result. Then he opted to move on, taking over for Manuel Ugarte at Sporting Lisbon, with Ugarte joining PSG.

A record sale for Lecce, who made nearly £18 million for Hjulmand. He has since started eight of Sporting’s ten games this season, with the Portuguese club leading Liga NOS. They’ve won eight of the ten.

Hjulmand was desired by Leeds in January after starring for Sporting Lisbon.

Hjulmand would have been an excellent signing in January, especially given that Leeds had just lost a key holding midfield cog in Tyler Adams to a hamstring injury.

If Hjulmand or Adams had been in the Leeds side in the second part of the season, it could have given Leeds the defensive solidity that we desperately needed. But that is all speculative for the time being.

 

Instead, Hjulmand stayed at Lecce and is now impressing in Portugal, filling enormous shoes left by Ugarte. Meanwhile, Leeds look set for an immediate return to the Premier League.