Patrick Rees
It has been a while since Victor Lindelof’s name has been linked with a move to Manchester United, and if the reports are to be believed, then the Red Devils are close to agreeing to the terms to the sign him in the coming summer.
But it seems like Mourinho is not the one to get a preliminary satisfaction with just one defensive personnel, hence, it was reported, earlier in January, that his side have also reached an agreement to sign Benfica’s 23-year-old right-back, Nelson Semedo. A couple of days back, The People’s Person stated that Benfica accepted Manchester United’s £35m offer for the 23-year-old, and the catch was, they had the option to keep him at Benfica for the rest of the season, which they activated.
But now, the latest report from The Sun is surely something that will crush the hopes of Old Trafford faithful. The report (via O Jogo) claims that the Catalan giants FC Barcelona recently sent their scouts to trigger the development of Victor Lindelof in Benfica’s 3-0 win against Nacional last weekend.
It also suggested that Semedo is also a subject of their interest and that certainly would be a big blow for Manchester United. A tradition of playing in the Champions League and a renowned Camp Nou stadium would certainly attract any top talent in the world, and if United are to make a move, they need to reach to an agreement fast.
Barcelona, since the departure of Dani Alves to Juventus, have been struggling to find a perfect man for the right-back slot with both Vidal and Seri Roberto struggling to find the required level of consistency, so, this may force the Spanish team to go all-out on the negotiations. Furthermore, in the case of Lindelof, the Red Devils might struggle to offer the Swedish international a regular first team football, as they have Bailly, Jones, Smalling, Rojo and Blind at their disposal.
And this is where Barcelona can take advantage of the situation. Enrique does have Umtiti, Pique and Mascherano, but this is it for him. A team which is a guaranteed Champions League participant needs more defensive depth and making Lindelof a potential target does make sense.
Antonio Valencia recently extended his stay, hence it is certain that the manager wants an understudy rather than a first-teamer. Manchester United have a poor transfer record with Benfica so far, as we all are aware of the fact that how Renato Sanches and Goncalo Guedes snubbed the Red Devils, hence, it is quite fair to say that if United don’t act fast, they may lose both their precious targets to the Catalan giants.
