Inter Milan ‘working on’ shrewd signing of 266-game Man Utd star whose ‘time is up’

Inter Milan are putting the pieces in place to sign centre-back Victor Lindelof, and TEAMtalk has been informed of Manchester United’s stance on waving goodbye to the Swede.

Lindelof, 30, is in his eighth year at Old Trafford. The veteran centre-half featured heavily in the Ole Gunnar Solskjaer years, though was never a regular starter for Erik ten Hag.

A groin issue has prevented Lindelof from being available for selection in each of Ruben Amorim’s four matches in charge.

Amorim’s 3-4-3 formation could theoretically give Lindelof a chance to lengthen his Man Utd career. However, the defender is out of contract at season’s end and United no longer hold an option to extend by a year.

Indeed, that option was triggered on January 4 of 2024 to cover the 2024/25 season. As such, Lindelof has just seven months remaining on his deal and can sign a pre-contract agreement with overseas sides come January 1.

According to a fresh update from Spanish reporter Javier Parra Pena, Serie A giants Inter Milan hope to do exactly that.

It’s claimed Inter are seeking to refresh their centre-back ranks with Stefan De Vrij (32) and Francesco Acerbi (36) reaching the natural end of their careers as top-level players.

Inter are ‘working on’ a deal and hope to sign Lindelof on a free. They believe his vast experience will serve the club well over the coming years.

READ MORE: The key contract details of every Man Utd first-team player: Expiry dates, weekly wages, agents…

Man Utd stance on Lindelof exit

TEAMtalk was exclusively informed on October 21 of five Man Utd stars who are strong candidates to leave the club in 2025.

Altay Bayindir, Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, Casemiro and Antony were the quintet mentioned.

A recent report from Mail Plus highlighted back-up goalkeeper Bayindir’s unhappiness with his lack of action. The Turk has played just three times for Man Utd – all of which came in the domestic cups –  and is yet to feature in the Premier League or European competition.

Regarding Lindelof, we were told there is an ‘acceptance’ within United that Lindelof’s ‘time is up.’

A new contract is not expected to be offered, meaning an exit in the summer of 2025 at the very latest is on the cards.

Man Utd could look to secure a cut-price sale in January, though the player’s age and contract status means only a small sum would be received.

As such, the likeliest outcome is Lindelof leaves Man Utd via free agency at season’s end. Aside from Inter, we understand bitter rivals AC Milan are also showing interest in the Swede.

GO DEEPER: The 13 players who left Man Utd this summer and how they’re faring with next step

Latest Man Utd news – Davies deal, Arsenal rage, quartet’s restrictions

In other news, Man Utd are said to be closing in on the ‘blockbuster signing’ of Bayern Munich left-back, Alphonso Davies.

Elsewhere, United legend Gary Neville has named an Arsenal man the “most annoying bloke in football.”

Meanwhile, Amorim named four Man Utd players who have “time limits.” By ‘time limits’ Amorim was referring to stars whose minutes the club are closely managing.

Victor Lindelof – a success or failure at Man Utd?

Written by Nathan Egerton

Lindelof joined United from Benfica in the summer of 2017 but initially struggled to adapt to the physical aspects of the Premier League during a difficult debut season.

The Sweden international improved in 2018/19 and finished as runner-up to Luke Shaw in the votes for the United Players’ Player of the Year and Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year awards.

He formed a solid if not spectacular centre-back partnership with Harry Maguire over the following two seasons as United secured second and third-place finishes in the Premier League.

The centre-back’s positional awareness and qualities in possession made him a key player under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

But he continued to lose a number of physical and aerial battles and his performance against Villarreal in the 2021 Europa League final was a harsh reminder of his shortcomings.

United have since signed a new centre-back in three of the last four summer transfer windows, bringing in Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt.

Lindelof has been reduced to the role of bit-part player at Old Trafford and has also become increasingly injury-prone in the last 18 months.

Factoring in the full body of work, I’d give Lindelof’s spell at Man Utd a rating of 6 out of 10.