Manchester United join race for Porto hotshot

Soccer Football – Primeira Liga – FC Porto v Benfica – Estadio do Dragao, Porto, Portugal – October 5, 2025 FC Porto's Victor Froholdt in action REUTERS/Pedro Nunes

Manchester United have joined the race for Porto midfielder Victor Froholdt. The 19-year-old has caught the eye of several top European clubs including United’s Premier League rivals Arsenal and Tottenham.

Froholdt has been dubbed “the future Xhaka” by certain admirers for his passing range and ability to dictate tempo from deep positions, and is believed to be valued by Porto in the region of €50-60m. TeamTalk has reported that the Denmark international is part of United’s four man midfield wish list.

Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham, Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton, and Brighton’s Carlos Baleba are the others high in demand at Old Trafford. A summer move is most likely for any target, but United are considering a January move amidst uncertainty over the futures of Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte.

They would likely need to move quickly for Froholdt, as he also being tracked by Atletico Madrid and Brighton aside from Arsenal and Tottenham.

Froholdt has impressed for Porto this season, scoring one goal and assisting three in eight Liga Portugal appearances. In August of 2025 he claimed a treble of awards after being named the Player of the Month, Young Player of the Month, and midfielder of the Month in Portugal.

He is primarily a box-to-box midfielder but can operate anywhere in midfield and excels at pressing and winning the ball. On the ball he has good technique and an impressive passing range, drawing comparisons to not only Granit Xhaka but other high profile midfielders.

Froholdt became a full Denmark international in March of 2025 when he came on as a substitute in his country’s 5-2 loss to Portugal in the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League quarter-final. He replaced Arsenal midfielder Christian Norgaard.

Porto are reportedly open to offers for the player, as they believe a sale would represent good business. They signed the player just this summer from Copenhagen for a fee of €20m and now believe he is worth more than double that figure.

Nadji is a football writer with over 10 years of experience covering the Premier League. His work has been featured on Football Fancast, Arsenal-Mania, and Arsenal.com, where he has built a reputation for delivering sharp analysis, engaging storytelling, and in-depth coverage of the game.