Bharath Rammr
Jose Mourinho looks set to make a double signing in January in order to enhance Manchester United’s chances of finishing in the top four. Both signings would be in the defensive side of the pitch with Victor Lindelof and Jose Fonte being the players. It would represent an astonishing of developments given that several reports indicated that United had pulled off from the deal to sign Lindelof after being impressed with the pairing of Marcos Rojo and Phil Jones. Fonte was of interest to United during the summer, but it appeared that the club had switched focus in the last six months.
Fonte, though, has tempted United by handing in a transfer request to Southampton and the Express reports that Manchester United have managed to strike a deal with Southampton and Benfica, and both players will arrive for an extravagant £45 million fee. Lindelof alone is expected to cost around £38 million of this transfer with Fonte costing the remaining £7 million.
At just £7 million, United would be getting a versatile defender capable of playing in centre or right side of the defence. Since he is Portuguese, Mourinho would also like having a trusted player in the squad. Fonte has been playing in English football for almost a decade and should take no time to settling in at Old Trafford even to the pressure of playing for a huge club like United is vastly different from representing Southampton.
The transfer fee may be a little premium for a 33-year-old player, who would have a couple of years of football left in him. However, Southampton have the advantage of holding onto Fonte if they wish so. This is because the players still has more than 18 months left on his contract. Fonte has been a regular for Southampton this season and has featured in 17 games so far.
Lindelof has been one of the stranger elements of this January transfer window. His transfer has reportedly gone on and off numerous occasions, but it seems that a deal has finally been completed. One of the few difficulties in his transfer was the entry of Västerås into the picture. Lindelof’s former club Västerås reportedly placed a request of receiving 20% of the transfer fee from Benfica along with a £250,000 compensation that was due initially upon his transfer. Now, the issue seems to have been sorted out to a certain extent and the 22-year-old will be joining United in order to be paired alongside Eric Bailly.
Just like Fonte, Lindelof is also capable of playing on either side of the defence and will be a versatile addition to the squad.
