Manchester United transfer news: Club makes '£38m bid for Victor Lindelof' as Feyenoord full-back is targeted
The latest transfer rumours from Old Trafford on Sunday 18 December
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Your support makes all the difference.Manchester United have allegedly made a £38m bid for Benfica defender Victor Lindelof as the club looks to reinforce its defensive options.
United have been tracking the centre-back for months now with scouts regularly attending fixtures at Benfica’s Stadium of Light.
After watching Lindelof in action in the local derby victory over Sporting Lisbon last weekend, United made their interest official with a £34m bid that incorporates success-related bonuses.
Benfica are reluctant to let Lindelof go after qualifying for the last 16 of the Champions League but having paid a nominal fee to sign him in 2011, the club may find it hard to turn down United’s offer.
Feyenoord full-back Rick Karsdorp is another defender under consideration and it’s believed United will make a move for the 21-year-old in the January transfer window.
Although manager Jose Mourinho has been pleased with Antonio Valencia’s displays, the Ecuador international is not a natural full-back.
The Portuguese has identified Karsdorp as a long-term solution and the Daily Mirror reports that the club will make a £15m bid for the player next month.
Meanwhile, the in-form Zlatan Ibrahimovic is set to turn down a staggering £120m bid from China in order to extend his stay at United.
According to the Daily Mail, the Chinese government is willing to bankroll a move for the Swede knowing he would be able to guarantee millions in commercial revenue and raise the profile of the Chinese Super League.
But a move looks unlikely, especially given Mourinho’s recent admission that the club intends to offer Ibrahimovic another year at Old Trafford which the 35-year-old looks more than happy to take.
Lastly, a former Fifa agent has claimed that Wayne Rooney was offered to Napoli during the summer after Mourinho arrived at United.
Vincenzo Morabito, a well-known Italian football agent, has stated that the poor relationship between Rooney and Mourinho resulted in the England captain being offered to Serie A side Napoli, despite the manager’s insistence that Rooney would not only stay at Old Trafford but remain his captain.
Mourinho faced a plenty of questions over Rooney’s future at the start of the season, though most revolved around his positioning on the pitch rather than which club he would be playing for.
But Morabito insists that the 31-year-old, who has scored just three goals in 25 appearances this season, was offered to the Italian side, though added that it was a non-starter due to his £260,000-a-week wages.
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