Benfica president Luis Filipe Vieira flies to England to help Manchester United complete Victor Lindelof transfer

Benfica president Luis Filipe Vieira has flown to England to complete the transfer of defender Victor Lindelof to Manchester United. The centre-back has long been linked with a move to Old Trafford after emerging as a Janaury target for Jose Mourinho.

According to the Portuguese publication O Jogo, the Primeira Liga outfit's chief will meet United officials for the sale of the Swedish international to the Premier League club. The 20-time English champions have sent their scouts to watch the player on numerous occasions this season.

The Red Devils' scouts were in attendance at t Estadio da Luz when Benfica registered a 2-1 win over Sporting on 11 December. United made their interest official in signing Lindelof after the match as they look to bring him to Old Trafford in the mid-season transfer window.

Lindelof has a £30m ($37.4m) release clause in his contract, which will activate only after the end of the season. O Jogo claims Benfica are looking for a fee of €45m (£38m, $46.8m), which will include success-related bonuses.

United are not the only club interested in signing the Benfica defender. According to ESPN, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan are in the race with United in signing Lindelof. The player's representative Hakan Cetinkaya earlier confirmed his client is looking to leave his current employers in January.

"The transfer window isn't open yet, but Victor is already very much in demand. As a result, I've scheduled interviews with some of the biggest clubs in Europe to talk about his future," Lindelof's agent Cetinkaya told the Portuguese publication Record.

"The most important thing is for the deal to be done at the right moment. But I'm optimistic. There's a good chance he'll leave the club this winter. If not, it'll be next summer."