If you had told Manchester United fans that their first signing of the summer would be announced on Saturday evening, most would have expected it to be Alvaro Morata as the reports emerging from Spain on Friday claimed a €70m fee had been agreed and it was only a matter of time...
But instead it is a defender who is the first official signing of the summer, as Benfica's Victor Lindelof will finally move to the club after it looked like he was going to sign back in January.
We are pleased to announce we have reached agreement with Benfica for the transfer of Victor Lindelof. More: https://t.co/xGQKgCuCrX #MUFC pic.twitter.com/93QhW9JnMU
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) June 10, 2017
There's no fee confirmed just yet, but #SkySources believe it to be £30.7m/€35m.
Manchester United is pleased to announce that it has reached agreement with Benfica for the transfer of Victor Lindelof, subject to a medical examination, international clearance and personal terms.
Man United are paying €35m (£30.7m) for Lindelof. He was on a three-man list of centre backs José gave Ed Woodward - with M Keane & Van Dijk
— Kaveh Solhekol (@SkyKaveh) June 10, 2017
Lindelof played in Sweden's hugely important win over France on Friday night, and while he is not a household name, Man Utd fans are excited given Mourinho's outstanding track record in terms of signing centre-backs, with Eric Bailly being the perfect example from last year.
The Swede will be expected to challenge for a starting place right away, and with Ivorian powerhouse Bailly the unanimous first-choice, it looks like it will be between Lindelof, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, and Marcos Rojo (when he returns from injury) to play alongside him.
Of course, this signing could mean that one of those defenders will be discarded by Mourinho, and Smalling and Jones have both been linked with moves away in recent times.
That's one in the door, and we can expect a few more in the coming weeks. Obligatory YouTube video below:
