It’s that time of year again.
Transfer deals are on, then off, then on again then off again, until the deal is completed or the month ends.
However, in the case of Manchester United target Victor Lindelöf, there appears to be more substance to the latest developments than usual.
After the BBC reported that United boss Jose Mourinho had dropped his interest in the Swede, Portuguese media suggested the report was wide of the mark and the deal would indeed go ahead. And now it seems to be 2-1 in favour of the latter argument.
Västerås och Benfica överens. Victor Nilsson Lindelöf närmar sig Manchester United.https://t.co/z3jZKFLG3w pic.twitter.com/9VBoYxg0iO
— SportExpressen (@SportExpressen) January 5, 2017
According to Swedish outlet Expressen, one of the final obstacles to the move is now out of the way, with Lindelof’s current club Benfica reaching an agreement with his previous employers Västerås.
The third-tier club, who last played in Sweden’s top flight in 1997, have been holding out for a sell-on fee of 20% – effectively £8m or so if the rumoured £40m deal for the 22-year-old.
Västerås Chairman Bengt-Ake Nilsson is quoted as calling Benfica’s attitude shameful, following unconfirmed reports that the Portuguese club were keen to include Lindelöf’s teammate Nélson Semedo in any deal and attach a higher fee to the full-back and a lower one to Lindelöf.
But a resolution appears to have been reached, with Nilsson saying:
“It is true that we have had contact with Benfica in the recent past. It’s the only thing I can say right now.
“We have hopes. They have increased after we made contact with Benfica.
“We hope that this will resolve itself in the near future. Now there is enough interest from both our side and Benfica’s side for a solution.”
