Manchester United are reportedly inching closer to complete the signing of Victor Lindelof in the summer.
Portuguese outlet A Bola have reported that Manchester United are in advanced negotiations to secure the signing of Victor Lindelof. The Premier League club hope to complete the deal for the Benfica defender in the coming days.
Lindelof has established himself as one of the most promising young defenders in Europe at the present moment, having played an instrumental role in Benfica defending their Liga NOS title this season.
A mainstay at the back for the Portuguese giants, the Swede made 46 appearances in all competitions for his side, making an impression with his reading of the game as well as his ability to carry the ball out from defence.
José Mourinho has made Lindelöf his priority at centre-back, but Benfica want €60m for the Swede, which MUFC are unwilling to pay. [A Bola] pic.twitter.com/829TurEzxl
— Jan Hagen (@PortuBall) May 30, 2017
And as he continues to go from strength to strength, the player has become a hot property in Europe, with several top clubs keeping a tab on him. However, Manchester United have been leading the race to sign Lindelof for months now, and have inched closer to securing a summer deal for him, as per the report.
Jose Mourinho’s need to sign a top quality centre-back has accentuated recently, as Marcos Rojo, who was enjoying a season of resurgence at Old Trafford, sustained a long-term knee injury that is reportedly set to keep him out of action for the remainder of the year.
Rojo’s injury leaves the Manchester United boss with Eric Bailly, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and the versatile Daley Blind as his central defensive options. But while Bailly has been a revelation for the Premier League outfit, the injury-prone duo of Jones and Smalling have been marred by their spells on the sidelines.
Hence, it has been reported that Mourinho has sanctioned a deal to sign Lindelof in the summer transfer window. The report suggests that the Red Devils are set to intensify negotiations in the coming days to complete the deal.
However, there’s one sticking point that is holding up the deal – the transfer fee. Benfica president, Luis Filipe Vieira is adamant that the club will not do business below €60 million, while Manchester United are unwilling to shell out the aforementioned figure.
The Red Devils, though, are confident that a deal can be secured to complete the player’s signing in the summer transfer window. It now remains to be seen if Manchester United are able to negotiate a lower price for Lindelof, as they get set to launch the offensive for him in the coming days.
