Manchester United may be forced to sound out alternative defensive options after Victor Lindelof’s agent ruled out his departure from Benfica.
Jose Mourinho’s side have reportedly opened up negotiations with Benfica with a view to completing a January move for the Sweden international as the United manager looks to bolster his defensive options.
Lindelof, 22, has previously been linked with a move to Chelsea but his agent, Hasan Cetinakaya, has ruled out his departure and has even suggested he could extend his stay beyond 2020, when his existing deal expires.
“There are many speculations regarding Lindelof’s future but he plays in one of the best European clubs already,” his agent told A Bola, via The Daily Mail.
“There are many clubs interested in what Benfica are doing, but we are on very good terms with the president and we’ll decide Lindelof’s future together with the club. They will decide if he deserves a contract extension.
“There are many clubs interested in signing Lindelof too, but he’s happy at Benfica at the moment and doesn’t want to leave.”
United were reportedly told they would have to shell out £50m to sign Lindelof from Benfica, which would make him the joint most expensive defender of all-time, level with former Benfica defender David Luiz, who joined PSG from Chelsea for the same fee in 2014.
Of Benfica players to have featured in more than six Liga NOS matches this season, only Lubomir Fejsa (90%) has a better pass success rate than Lindelof (89.3%).
For more stats on Victor Lindelof, click here to visit his WhoScored player page
