Report: United aims to acquire Lindelof for less than €45M release clause

Manchester United is stepping up its pursuit of 22-year-old centre-back Victor Lindelof, with the club’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward hoping to strike a deal that would see him acquired for a lower figure than his €45-million (£37.8-million) release clause at Benfica, reports the Guardian’s Jamie Jackson.

Lindelof’s credentials have been further boosted by a reference from Zlatan Ibrahimovic a month ago and Jesper Blomqvist, a treble winner with United in 1998-99, on Monday manager Jose Mourinho has identified the backline as an area where he requires more depth.

The most pressing concern lies with Eric Bailly, who spent some time away with a knee issue and is poised to represent his native Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations, meaning he could be absent for around six weeks over January and February.

Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo, meanwhile, have staked their claims to be the first-choice centre-half pairing at United, but the former’s fitness has been thrown into question with ankle and knee injuries over the past two seasons, while the latter has shown himself all too willing to throw himself into tackles lately.

The final option is Chris Smalling, who has also spent elongated spells in the treatment room and has struggled to find form under the tutelage of Mourinho.

Lindelof additionally boasts experience at right-back, a position currently shared by Matteo Darmian and Antonio Valencia.

A signing from hometown club Vasteras for a mere €50,000 in 2012, Lindelof currently takes home just €10,000 per week in Lisbon, and would inevitably earn a much higher wage in the Premier League. However, his relative inexperience – he only made his Sweden debut in March – has led Woodward into believing he can acquire the young defender for under his release clause.

Benfica, however, is set to dig its heels in and try to receive an even richer figure than its previous record sale of €40-million for Axel Witsel’s switch to Zenit St. Petersburg in 2012.

Going the other way from United could be seldom-used midfield duo Morgan Schneiderlin and Memphis Depay, but further stories have dismissed that loan exits for Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial will be entertained in January.