Bharath Rammr
Manchester came extremely close to signing Victor Lindelof from Benfica at the start of the January transfer window. However, it looks almost certain that the club may pull out of the transfer after witnessing the existing players like Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo perform extremely well. A new development is that the club would be prepared to sell either Chris Smalling or Luke Shaw in the summer. Both players have not been in among the favour at Old Trafford, although it is more true in the case of the latter. As a result, Jose Mourinho has still not given up on the idea of bringing in Lindelof.
There was not much competition from any interested clubs for the 23-year-old defender, but it seems that Chelsea have just joined United in the race for the player – as per the reports from the Sun. The entry of the blues changes the picture substantially. Lindelof is one of the highly rated defenders in world football, and Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has reportedly seen qualities that would make him an ideal replacement for any of the older defenders at Chelsea. The blues possess an ageing backline with Kurt Zouma being the only established first-team regular below the age of 25. Centre backs like John Terry are at the end of their career, while Gary Cahill and David Luiz have also entered into the 30s.
Serbian Branislav Ivanovic is widely expected to leave the club at the end of the season. As a result, the club would be in the market for a new centre back and Lindelof appears to tick all the boxes. Even though Manchester United have reportedly agreed a £38 million fee which will rise to up to £42 million, the Portuguese outfit may be tempted by the chance to demand more money now that they are aware of Chelsea’s interest. Since United still retain an interest in the Swedish defender, they may not be ready to let Chelsea capture their target.
However, it remains to be seen if Lindelof consider a move to United now that Chelsea have entered into the picture. Even though playing for the Red Devils at Old Trafford has a much bigger statement, the player would compare the situation at United and Chelsea to come to the conclusion that he stands the best opportunity to play regularly in West London, not at Manchester. The competition for centre-backs at United is now intense and could only get even bigger following the return of Eric Bailly from the African Cup of Nations.
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte, though, is likely to use Lindelof as one of his preferred three centre backs.
