Manchester United are set to raid Benfica once again with Jose Mourinho desperate to improve his defence by signing Alex Grimando, according to Metro.
The 22-year-old left back is being extensively scouted by the United backroom staff and is highly thought of by them, as well as Mourinho.
Grimaldo arrived at the Estadio da Luz in December 2015 for a paltry €1.5m but a deal is likely to be in the region of €40m. With Victor Lindelof, 23, costing £31m during the summer 2017 transfer window, there’s little prospect of the Spaniard being sold for less.
Lindelof endured a torrid afternoon at the John Smith Stadium as United slumped to a 2 – 1 defeat at the hands of Huddersfield Town yesterday. It allowed Manchester City to open a five-point gap at the top of the Premier League table.
The Swede’s performance underlined the poverty of choices Mourinho faces on the left side of the defence, with England defender Luke Shaw, 22, set to return to Southampton.
Grimaldo made 92 appearances for Barcelona ‘B’ before moving to Lisbon. So far, he has featured in Benfica’s three Champions League games but their European campaign is all but over.
With no points so far, even three wins out in their remaining games may not be enough to see the Eagles continue in Europe’s premier club competition. An early Champions League exit may see Benfica willing to deal over Grimaldo in the coming January window.
