Aston Villa are planning to make a statement of intent in January by signing Benfica’s Victor Lindelof according to a report from Italian publication Tutto Napoli.
Lindelof, a Swedish international, has been tracked by some of the best teams in Europe and recent reports have suggested that Italian giants Inter Milan and Napoli are aiming to sign him. However Aston Villa are hoping to show the rest of the Sky Bet Championship that they will have a say in the promotion race following the appointment of head coach Steve Bruce and believe that by signing the big name defender they will be able to do that.
The 22-year-old defender has continued to improve while he has been at Benfica for the last five years and has been the subject of interest from big clubs before, including Manchester United and Chelsea. However he has stayed at Benfica and continued to develop as a player with the Portuguese giants but even though his current contract is set to last until 2020, it’s becoming increasingly likely that he will be departing the Estadio da Luz in the coming months.
And with plenty of big name clubs across Europe being interested in Lindelof, it will be very difficult for Bruce to complete this deal and persuade him to play in the Sky Bet Championship. However if Villa can complete this signing like they want to, it would be seen as one of the biggest coups in recent times. However Championship clubs have tried big signings from Benfica before, with Wolves failing in an ambitious attempt to sign Anderson Talisca during the summer.