Morten Hjulmand 'rejected offers to treble his wages' to stay at Sporting CP as president hails stars for not following Viktor Gyokeres out the door

Sporting CP president Varandas has expressed pride in the club’s steadfast transfer policy and praised captain Hjulmand for his professionalism during the summer window. Having lost star striker Gyokeres to Arsenal, Varandas reaffirmed that Sporting remain committed to their long-term strategy of sustainable growth. Despite significant interest from abroad, Varandas singled out Hjulmand as an example of the values Sporting aim to uphold. The Danish midfielder reportedly received lucrative offers that would have tripled his current salary, but chose to remain in Lisbon without forcing an exit or causing drama.

Speaking to O Jogo, Varandas said: "There's a tool that all clubs use as a barometer of market value. Last year, Sporting were the club with the most valuable squad. Now that the market is closed, with the players we have, Sporting are once again the club with the most valuable squad in the league, with around €80 million more than the second-placed club and around €100 million more than the third-placed club. Now, Sporting fans have to understand one thing: Sporting didn't come third or second. Sporting have a two-time champion's dressing room and if a player is to come in there, he has to be better than the two-time champions [Francisco] Trincao, [Pedro Goncalves] Pote, Morten [Hjulmand], [Goncalo] Inacio... And what I'm telling you is that Morten was rumoured to be lost to Italy, and I want to say a word to our captain because he turned down offers to go and earn three times as much and agreed, after a conversation with the board, to stay for another year. We kept Morten. Then Trincao was going to Saudi Arabia, Goncalo Inacio too, [Ousmane] Diomande [could've been] lost to Crystal Palace. And what happened? We kept the squad. Sporting have a way of working that doesn't change, and it's not because it's an election year that we're going to change our strategy. Sporting have already finished third and haven't gone all-in; we never have."

Gyokeres scored 97 goals in two seasons at the Jose Alvalade Stadium and became one of the club's most important players in recent history. However, his departure earlier this year was rather unceremonious. Gyokeres' willingness to leave amid interest from the Premier League resulted in a war of words between the player's camp and Varandas. 

On the other hand, Hjulmand was constantly linked with Manchester United as well as Serie A heavyweights Juventus. The Portuguese outfit, however, stood their ground and increased their asking price in an attempt to ward off interest and retain their captain for at least another season.

The Leoes will take on Famalicao in a Liga Portugal clash in their first game after the international break on September 13. Then, they begin their Champions League campaign against debutants Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan on September 18.