Manchester United have reportedly completed the signing of Benfica defender Victor Lindelof and will follow his arrival by securing a deal for another Benfica defender, full-back Nelson Semedo, according to reports in Portugal.
The reports state United could pay as much as £38 million apiece for the pair. Those reports come from Portuguese source RTP (h/t Uche Amako of the Express):
Manchester United have been closing in on a deal for Lindelof in recent days and the Portuguese outlet RTP say he could cost as much as £38million (45m euros).
It is claimed the Sweden international will wear the number two shirt at Old Trafford.
The jersey was last worn by Brazilian Rafael in 2015. [...]
The report also says United are close to an agreement on Semedo.
Benfica are unwilling to lose the right-back in January but the clubs are in talks for the 23-year-old to join United but remain at the Estadio da Luz until the end of the season.
The exit clause in Semedo's contract is said to be £38m (45m euros).
Talk regarding Lindelof's seemingly imminent arrival at Old Trafford has been building and building in recent weeks. The player's agent, Hasan Cetinkaya, confirmed to Swedish outlet Aftonbladet (h/t another report from Amako) how Benfica have been considering a bid.
Eagles manager Rui Vitoria even hinted at transfer exits during the winter window, per BBC Sport's Simon Stone. Meanwhile, ex-Benfica star Antonio Veloso suggested Lindelof is indeed Manchester-bound, according to Stuart Mathieson of the Manchester Evening News.
United bolstering their defensive options makes sense, especially when it means adding a player as versatile as Lindelof. The 22-year-old Sweden international can play centre-back and also operate on the right as a full-back.
However, the interest in Semedo makes it seem as though United manager Jose Mourinho wants Lindelof to play centrally at Old Trafford. It wouldn't be a surprise since Mourinho has choices in the middle, but he's struggled to settle on the ideal combination at times this season.
Injury problems for summer signing Eric Bailly haven't helped. However, Mourinho hasn't always appeared totally comfortable with either Chris Smalling or Daley Blind.
His best pairing has been the unlikely partnership between Phil Jones and Marcos Rojo. Yet it would surprise nobody if United were keen to find a replacement for the game but reckless Rojo. A player who can cover for the oft-injured Jones would also help.
There's similar logic to attempting to sign Semedo, who could help solve obvious problems at full-back. The 23-year-old is a skilled, rugged and tireless right-back who can finally give United a natural at the position.
Veteran winger Antonio Valencia has admirably converted to a new position, but the 31-year-old can't keep raiding the flank indefinitely. Although the Ecuadorian did recently sign a new two-year deal with Mourinho's blessing, according to The Sun's Alan Nixon.
Valencia may still have the manager's confidence, but Italy international Matteo Darmian rarely has. In fact, the player has previously expressed confusion about why he's been left out so often this season, per Rai Sport (h/t ESPN FC).
Mourinho is clearly intent on refreshing the defensive ranks during this campaign. Bringing over two imports from a league the Portuguese native knows well, and giving them a half-season of Premier League experience makes sense.
If Lindelof and Semedo do join United, they are likely to help form the foundation of a back four sure to look very different next season. It's a unit set to be more in Mourinho's image as he continues to put his stamp on the Red Devils.