Bharath Rammr
Benfica star Victor Lindelof is moving closer towards a massive increase in his wages, as he is close to completing a move to Manchester United, according to the reports from Star Sports. Talks are in advanced stages between Benfica and United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, and it is becoming increasingly likely that the deal may be completed in the next few days. It was reported a few days ago that the deal had been pulled off by manager José Mourinho, who saw spending close to £40 million on a defender unnecessary at a time when Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, and Marcos Rojo are performing well.
Now, it seems that United have made a U-turn that will see them bring in Lindelof as one of the world’s most expensive defender. This status is also set to be accompanied by a huge wage rise for the 22-year-old. The Swede is on a contract worth around £350,000 per year at Benfica and the same source has mentioned that he could be set to earn this figure in just three weeks following the move to United. The Red Devils have reportedly offered a £115,000 per week on a five-and-a-half-year contract.
Mourinho has been tracking the youngster ever since he took over from Louis van Gaal in the summer. There was a danger of the deal falling through because of Lindelof’s former club Vasteras demanding a 20% fee on any transfer fee obtained from the sale of the youngster. Such a move would severely limit the transfer fee received by the Portuguese club. Benfica, like many of the Portuguese clubs, have a heavy reliance upon the sale of high-profile players in order to run the club.
Rather than the 20% fee, it appears that Vasteras and Benfica have agreed a 10% settlement. It would see Vasteras pocketing a cool £3.8 million with the possibility of £1.4 million to arrive in the future. It would seem like a nice payday for the Swedish club, who originally received just £300,000 when the transfer was completed three years ago.
A few days ago, Jose Mourinho claimed that he was ready to compete without Eric Bailly. The Ivory Coast international is with his national team at the 2017 African Cup of Nations. As the defending champions, Ivory Coast are expected to progress into the latter stages of the tournament. It would see Bailly being unavailable for club duty at least until January.
José Mourinho said that he was ready to use his squad in order to manage without the 22-year-old. Now, the arrival of Lindelof could only enhance the prospects with United already having Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Marcos Rojo, and Daley Blind capable of playing in this position.
