Manchester United planning to trigger one-year extension option in Victor Lindelof’s contract – Man United News And Transfer News

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Manchester United were far from decent but managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against Brentford, eventually triumphing 2-1 at Old Trafford on Saturday.

All hope seemed lost until substitute Scott McTominay scored deep into added time to ensure three points and an end to United’s losing streak at home.

The Bees had taken the lead after some horrendous individual mistakes from the likes of Casemiro, Andre Onana, and Victor Lindelof.

Lindelof has not been as good as last season

Both the Brazilian and Cameroonian have faced a lot of heat recently, but the Swede has gone under the radar. The 29-year-old was poor against Thomas Frank’s side.

Last season, the Sweden international had come up clutch when the injury crisis hit and he marshaled the backline effectively in the absence of Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane.

In the new campaign, he has been far from secure but he has had to play in a number of different positions. His technical skills are exemplary but his weakness against physically-superior forwards has always been a concern.

Lindelof’s current deal with United expires in 2024 and if a new deal is not agreed soon, the defender can agree a pre-agreement with any club post-January, which would see him leave on a free.

According to The Daily Star, the Red Devils are set to trigger the one-year extension option in his contract to avoid such a scenario from occurring while also protecting his market value.

There is a chance Lindelof could move on in January or next summer, and United are aiming to ensure they can get suitably compensated, which would in turn allow a decent replacement to be bought.

One-year option set to be triggered

“Manchester United are to extend Victor Lindelof’s contract by a year – to stop him leaving on the cheap. Italian clubs Juventus and AC Milan are interested in the central defender.

“The Reds reckon that will guarantee them getting a reasonable fee, in the region of £15 million, should Lindelof leave in either the January transfer window or next summer.”

Lindelof had arrived for £30m from Benfica in July 2017 under Jose Mourinho but he has since lost his first-team status and is mainly a substitute when all the defenders are fit.

While Ten Hag admires the Swede’s versatility, a better, more physically strong defender is the need of the hour. And this contract extension might see Lindelof depart in the near future.