Manchester United have been linked with a January transfer move for Swedish defender Victor Lindelof, with reports in the Portuguese media claiming the Premier League giants have already initiated contacts for the Benfica star.
Jose Mourinho feels he needs more than Eric Bailey, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind.
According to a latest report from Portuguese newspaper O Jogo, Benfica won’t be signing a replacement for Lindelof, and would promote young Croatian defender Branimir Kalaica instead.
O Jogo say Lindelof’s move to Manchester United in the January window is becoming ‘likely’, and that’s because Jose Mourinho’s grip is getting ‘stronger’
However, Lindelof has been negotiating a new contract at Benfica, but there has been a lot of confusion. It’s been reported Benfica see this as an opportunity to make more profit on the 22-year-old, and there is an agreement with him to increase his release clause to €60m.
That would mean Lindelof agreeing to extend before the January window, and upping his clause to €60m… and then Manchester United agreeing to pay something like that. It sounds very optimistic on behalf of Benfica.
Benfica believe Lindelof’s move to Manchester United is an excellent deal for them both financially and on a sporting level, as they already have replacements in the squad and don’t need to spend in the transfer market.
