Man United could solve their Lindelof problem as brave and aggressive £30m defensive star refuses to sign a new deal

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If Man United could somehow find a way of blending Lindelof and Bailly then they would probably find their perfect defensive partner for Maguire.

Bailly is quick and aggressive but that can cost him if he’s caught out of position, while Lindelof is sound positionally and composed on the ball but he can be too timid when he’s faced with a battering ram of a centre forward and it can lead to even more problems when he tries to overcompensate.

Lindelof took a lot of stick for his part in West Brom’s goal at the weekend and he’s a perfectly competent defender, but he’s not quite the calibre of player who would play a starting role on a title winning side.

That’s the level that Man United need to aspire to, and a report from The Express has indicated they could look to solve their problems by signing Fiorentina centre back Nikola Milenkovic.

The Serbian international has been impressive all season and he’s known for his aggression and bravery in defence, while he’s also sound on the ball and positionally so he could be the man to shore up the backline.

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He isn’t blisteringly quick so there could be a fear that he and Maguire would be easily exposed against the quicker forwards, but he still looks like he would be a handy addition.

He’s still only 23 but it also sounds like his contract is up in the summer of 2022 and he doesn’t have any plans to renew it, so Fiorentina will be forced to cash in this summer and a price tag of £30m has been touted.

It will be easy to make comparisons to Nemanja Vidic because of his physical style and aggression in the air, while he has still has plenty of time to develop and improve.

The report does suggest that Man City are also interested although they threw a lot of money at Nathan Ake and Ruben Dias last summer, so a move to Old Trafford does look like a real possibility.

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