AC Milan are looking to jump the queue for Manchester United centre-back Victor Lindelof, who will be available as a free agent at the end of the season.
According to CaughtOffside sources, the Serie A side are “seriously interested” in the Swedish defender, as they “value his experience”.
The 30-year-old is one of the longest-serving players in the current United squad, having made 266 appearances since he was signed in 2017 by Jose Mourinho.
His contract expires at the end of this season and there seem to be no plans to offer the player a new deal, especially in light of the additions of Matthijs de Ligt and Leny Yoro in the summer.
CaughtOffside report that as a free agent Lindelof is unlikely to be short of offers, but that AC Milan are prepared to act quickly to secure his signature.
The report states that the Italian giants “could make an approach to the 30-year-old in January”, when the centre-back will be free to negotiate with foreign clubs.
Lindelof has struggled for gametime over the past year, spending two long spells on the sidelines through injury last season, and he has only played a full 90 minutes twice this season.
His most recent full game was last night in the 2-0 Europa League win over PAOK, where he lined up alongside Jonny Evans.
He also played the whole of the Carabao Cup win against Leicester City, but is sorely lacking minutes in the Premier League where he has picked up a paltry 58 across four matches, often filling in as a full-back due to injuries.
There seems to be little chance of a Lindelof revival on the horizon, even with the incoming Ruben Amorim’s preference for a 3-4-3 formation, as the highly-rated Yoro targets a first competitive match in a United shirt after sitting out the season so far with injury.
United are not short of centre-backs as it is, and are once again being linked with a move for Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite.
Although he is unlikely to retain his services, Amorim does have a unique connection with Lindelof, having shared the pitch with him three times as a player at Benfica.
Featured image Carl Recine via Getty Images
Joe Ponting
Joe has spent more than half his life writing about football and all of it following United. As a child he told a doctor his name was ‘Paul Scholes’, but could never pick a pass like him no matter how much he tried.
