Manchester United will know their acquisition of Victor Lindelof has been a successful one if he eventually ends up costing them €40million.
The Reds had been linked with the Swede for several months, and last week revealed they had reached an agreement with Benfica for his signature. They also stated they would only comment further when the player had been signed, and that has now happened after he passed a medical and penned a four-year deal, with the option of a further 12 months, on Wednesday.
“I am thrilled to be joining Manchester United,” Lindelof told the official club website. “I have enjoyed my time at Benfica enormously and I have learned a lot there. But I’m looking forward to playing in the Premier League at Old Trafford and for Jose Mourinho. I’m keen to get started and make my contribution to the team’s efforts to win more trophies.”
United have paid an initial €30million (£30.7million) for the 22-year-old, with a further €10million (£8.8million) to be payable on performance incentives. This is a fee the League Cup and UEFA Europa League holders will then hope to pay the Portuguese club, and Jose Mourinho certainly feels the centre-half has what is needed to become a big success at Old Trafford.
“Victor is a very talented young player, who has a great future ahead of him at United,” Mourinho, who will now set his sights on Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata, said. “Our season last year showed us that we need options and quality to add depth to the squad and Victor is the first to join us this summer. I know that our fantastic group of players will welcome him as one of us.”
