Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho is a huge admirer of the 22-year-old defender (Picture: Getty)

Jose Mourinho is set to sign Victor Lindelof as Manchester United close in on his £35million transfer from Benfica, reports say.

Lindelof was strongly linked with a move to Old Trafford in January and United’s interest in the 22-year-old has now faded in the subsequent months.

Mourinho is expected to spend big this summer after clinching the club’s return to the Champions League this season and winning the EFL Cup.

According to the Daily Mirror, the Portuguese’s first signing will be Sweden international Lindelof, who helped Benfica win the double this season.

The talented defender, who can operate at right back or in the middle, played over 40 games and emerged as one of Benfica’s stand-out players.

Victor Lindelof enjoyed a fine season for Benfica (Picture: Getty)

When asked about United’s interest in Lindelof, Mourinho said on Monday: ‘I will not say if I want him or not, I don’t think it’s right.

‘Rui [Vitoria, Benfica’s manager] is not going to be happy with another club manager talking about a player who is his, the president would not be happy to see that.

‘Lindelof is theirs and as long as he’s theirs, he’s theirs.’

The former Chelsea boss also insisted that United’s transfer plans would be left to Ed Woodward, with Mourinho keen to distract himself from the game for a short while.

‘This year, I had the most difficult season of my career. We played all of the games that were possible minus two,’ he added.

The Sweden international emerged as a target for United in January (Picture: Getty)
Mourinho insists Ed Woodward will deal with the club’s business (Picture: Getty)

‘I got fed up and tired of football until the last day. I promised that you would not see me in football stadiums, and I stopped negotiating for players and being worried.

‘I handed my list to the CEO in April and he has until August 31 to give me what I want, or not.’

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