Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho could seemingly still be set to complete the signing of defender Victor Lindelof after he was left out of the latest Benfica squad.
The Swedish international wasn’t included by the Portuguese giants in their squad to face Pacos de Ferreira, sparking rumours that his transfer to Old Trafford isn’t dead in the water.
As noted by The Sun, the 22-year-old was linked with a £42m switch to join United, with Mourinho keen to bolster his defence and strengthen further by finding a young, talented and reliable partner for Eric Bailly to form a formidable partnership in central defence.
However, as added in the report, it was claimed that the form of Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo had made the United boss reconsider his January transfer window plans and that the Red Devils had pulled out of a move for Lindelof without ever making an official bid.
It’s reported that the towering Swede travelled with the rest of the Benfica squad for their clash on Thursday, but was pulled out last minute with no official reason given for the decision which has unsurprisingly sparked rumours up again.
Mourinho isn’t short of defensive options this season, but with Bailly set for a spell away on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations next month and with Chris Smalling failing to convince prior to his injury setback, the United boss could be keen to bring in his own players.
While it seemed as though Lindelof wouldn’t be one of his latest signings, Benfica’s decision to snub him would suggest that the deal may not be quite out of the question just yet.