Manchester United target Victor Lindelof set to sign new contract with Benfica which will raise his buy-out clause to more than £50m

Manchester United target Victor Lindelof is on the verge of signing a new contract with Benfica which will increase his buy-out clause to more than £50million, according to reports in Portugal.

The Swede has been a long-time target of Jose Mourinho, who is looking to sure-up his defence at Old Trafford in a bid to move up the Premier League table and return to the Champions League.

A £38million fee has long been mentioned, but Portuguese newspaper O Jogo are reporting the Swede's new contract in Lisbon will allow them to command a greater fee, taking the buy-out clause above £50m.

Manchester United target Victor Lindelof is set to sign a new contract with Benfica

That will increase the amount United must pay the Portuguese club to land the Swede 

Benfica are also thought to need to pay Lindelof's first club, Vasteras in Sweden, 20 per cent of any future fee for the defender, which would see them receive a £10m windfall if a move to Manchester is completed.

Lindelof has returned to Lisbon after spending the festive period at home in Sweden, and will train with Benfica until any deal to Old Trafford is completed. 

O Jogo also report Lindelof's salary at Old Trafford is set to be close to £3m a year, which will see the 22-year-old earn £58,000-a-week. His current contract at Benfica is said to be worth less than £3,500-a-week. 

The Sweden international is a the centre of a row between his current club and Vasteras

Benfica are currently in a dispute with Vasteras, over a clause in the original transfer which saw him move to Portugal for £60,000 in 2011. The clause is said to stipulate Benfica should pay Vasteras 250,000 euros once he reaches 10 league and Champions League games, which he did in April.

The Portuguese side have reportedly refused to pay, sparking a FIFA investigation, but it is not expected to hold up any deal to take Lindelof to United.

Manager Jose Mourinho is keen to bring him in with Eric Bailly set for Africa Cup of Nations duty with the Ivory Coast at the start of 2017, while he is also known to admire Benfica right-back Nelson Semedo, with any move for the latter likely to be in the summer.