Topics: Manchester United, Premier League, Football, Transfers, Sporting Lisbon, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Erik Ten Hag
Manchester United will reportedly attempt an audacious £119 million double swoop to sign two Sporting Lisbon players this summer.
Sporting are the reigning Portuguese top division champions, having beaten Benfica to the title by 10 points.
While the title race was close for much of the season, Ruben Amorim's side beat 10-man Benfica 2-1 at the beginning of April and then won six of their last seven games, drawing one.
Viktor Gyokeres, signed from Championship side Coventry last summer, was their top goalscorer with 29 goals, while he also added 10 assists.
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But Sporting also had the third-best defence in the top flight of Portugal, conceding just 29 goals across the season. Benfica let in 28, while Porto conceded a league low of 27.
A major part of Sporting's success in that area was centre-back Goncalo Inacio, who regularly plays on the left of a back three.
He is being monitored by Liverpool, according to Fabrizio Romano, with the 22-year-old possessing a £51 million release clause.
Portuguese outlet O Jogo claim that United have now joined the race, with the club keen to recruit a new centre-back to replace the departing Raphael Varane.
And it is added that midfielder Morten Hjulmand, who has a £68 million release clause, is also on United's radar this summer.
The Danish midfielder, who will go to Euro 2024 this summer, was linked with Tottenham earlier this year. Hjulmand does have an Arsenal tattoo resulting from his boyhood support of the club, and he cites Patrick Vieira as one of his idols.
The combative midfielder registered three goals and two assists at Sporting last term, as well as receiving 12 yellow cards.
United will be hoping that, if the 23-year-old does choose to move to Old Trafford, he can replicate even a small amount of what Vieira went on to achieve during his illustrious nine-year spell at Arsenal.
