Manchester United transfer news: Victor Lindelof on brink of completing £42million move from Benfica to Old Trafford in January

BENFICA centre-back, Victor Lindelof, is closing in on a £42million January move to Manchester United, according to reports in Portugal.

Jose Mourinho has been unable to truly rely on his defenders since arriving at Old Trafford in the summer.

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While Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo have been steady in recent weeks, the Special One doesn’t see the pair as a long-term option.

Respected Portuguese outlets, Record, and A Bola, report that Lindelof is on the brink of completing a Benfica club record move to United.

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President, Luis Filipe Vieira, travelled to London to thrash out a deal for the 22-year-old Swede, which would go through in the January transfer window.

Lindelof has a buy-out clause of £75m, but United expect to sign him for significantly less.

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Mourinho started the season with summer signing, Eric Bailly, and Daley Blind as his centre-back pairing — but the Dutchman was eventually replaced by Chris Smalling.

Injury to the Ivorian and former Fulham man, and the Dutchman’s inconsistency, saw the returning Jones and Rojo installed as the new No.1 pairing.

United’s fortunes have turned around significantly in recent weeks, with the duo proving to be a solid outfit.

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So much so that the impressive Bailly was forced to play at right-back during the 2-1 victory at Crystal Palace on his brief return from injury.

However, Argentine Rojo is still a little shaky — and has been lucky to avoid a red card in recent weeks with two shocking challenges.

While Jones is never too far away from an injury.