Victor Lindelöf Attended Secret Trial At Premier League Club When He Was 17

It looks like Jose Mourinho will make Swedish international Victor Lindelof his first signing in the January transfer window after reports emerged that Manchester United are close to sealing the deal for the 22-year-old.

For many, Lindelof is a relatively unknown name but it turns out Premier League side Stoke City gave a trial to the player when he was just 17-years-old, but turned down the opportunity to sign him for £260,000.

Newly-promoted Middlesbrough also let the player train at the Riverside when Tony Mowbray was in charge, but the club weren't in a financial position at the time to invest so much into an academy player, according to the Mail.

it has also been reported that Boro tried to sign Lindelof last season for £5 million - only for Benfica to insert extra clauses in his contract - thus the deal fell through.

Lindelof is expected to move in January, as Manchester United have made a £38 million bid for the defender.

Lindelof

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Jack Kenmare

Jack Kenmare is a writer at SPORTbible. He's interviewed some of the biggest names in sport, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Pele, Carles Puyol and Tim Henman. He dabbles in all things sport but football is his biggest passion. He was once hit in the head by a wayward strike from Nicky Butt and lived to tell the tale.

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