Middlesbrough scouts were at Benfica’s match against Feirense on Sunday to watch highly rated central defender Vincent Lindelof, according to Abola.
The Swedish international has been linked with a number of clubs in recent months and the Portuguese newspaper report that Liverpool, Chelsea, Juventus, Napoli, Valencia, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan are all keeping a close eye on the 22 year old.
With Benfica setting Lindelof’s release clause at €30million, and with a contract that lasts until 2020, it remains to be seen whether Boro could challenge the Reds and other major clubs if the centre back is sold.
It was also reported that Benfica are considering to offer Lindelof another new contract in order to ward off potential suitors and increase his transfer release clause even higher to €45million. Whether the Swedish defender would be sold for anything like these amounts is however open to debate. Portuguese and Spanish clubs especially use these clauses in order to increase the price tags of their players to potential buyers.
