Isn’t hindsight a wonderful thing? Boro and Villa could have snatched Victor Lindelof on the cheap last year but he’s worth a lot more these days.
Middlesbrough and Aston Villa could be blown out of the water in their reported pursuit of Victor Lindelof with Juventus joining the race for the highly-rated defender, according to Calciomercato.
Boro had been tracking the Swedish centre-back for a number of months but Lindelof’s sudden and unexpected rise to fame, capped by a stirring defensive performance against Bayern Munich last season, has attracted the attention of a number of illustrious clubs across the continent.
According to A Bola, representatives from 28 different teams, including Middlesbrough, travelled to Lisbon to watch Lindelof at close quarters in Benfica’s 1-0 Champions League win against Dynamo Kiev last week.
Furthermore, Aston Villa were also said to be keen on launching an ambitious bid for one of the most sought-after defenders in European football, with Record stating that the Championship side were attempting to defy their second-tier status to clinch a shock deal.
However, reports from Calciomercato that Serie A champions Juventus sent scouts to run the rule over Lindelof as Benfica snatched a dramatic point against vicious rivals Porto on Sunday night will surely push Boro and Villa even further down an already lengthy list of suitors.
Recent injuries to ageing duo Georgio Chiellini (below) and Andrea Barzagli means Juve could be in the market for defensive reinforcements despite the presence of Medhi Benatia, one of Italy’s finest centre-backs during a successful spell with Roma, and prodigious youngster Daniele Rugani.
Villa may have spent huge sums in the off-season to secure an immediate return to the top flight while Boro managed to pull off a number of impressive coups, but the potential signing of Lindelof appears beyond the both of them.
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