Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has identified Victor Lindelof as one of his top transfer targets, but his agent has stated that he is very happy where he is.
The Red Devils were believed to have made a bid for the Swedish center-back in the summer. However things did not work out in their favour, and the 21-year-old continues to be one of Benfica’s best players. That hasn’t thwarted United though, with Mourinho still reportedly keen on bringing Lindelof to Old Trafford. One of his country’s greatest heroes and current United striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic even addressed the topic recently.
Lindelof’s agent Hasan Cetinkaya has now spoken out about all the transfer speculation, and his comments may be a cause to worry for United.
“There is a lot of speculation, of course, and as I said before, Victor already plays in one of the biggest clubs in Europe, Benfica,” Cetinkaya told Portuguese publication A Bola.
“He fights for titles, plays in the Champions League, and is very happy in Benfica at the moment. Of course there are clubs that are attentive to what he has done at Benfica – Victor has done good things – but we have a very good relationship with President Vieira and he will make a decision for Benfica.”
The Manchester United defence has been in shambles this season, especially considering the high standards of manager Mourinho. 16 goals conceded in 14 Premier League games is something absolutely unacceptable for the Portuguese manager.
On top of that, central defensive stalwarts like Eric Bailly and Chris Smalling are out with injuries. This leaves the duo of Argentine Marcos Rojo and Englishman Phil Jones as the first choice central defenders, not exactly a dread-inspiring pair.
The addition of Lindelof is seen as a necessary step by Mourinho, as he has been damning in his assessment of the current state of certain Manchester United defenders. The 21-year-old centre-back has his whole career ahead of him. The end game could see him pair up with 23-year-old Eric Bailly in central defence and emulate the duo of Vidic and Ferdinand at Old Trafford.