Manchester United 'turn down Atletico Madrid approach for Victor Lindelof'

Manchester United reportedly rejected an approach from Atletico Madrid for Victor Lindelof towards the end of last year.

The 28-year-old has been with the Red Devils since 2017, making 209 appearances for the club in all competitions, contributing three goals and six assists in the process.

Lindelof has largely been a regular for Man United since his arrival, but he is no longer first choice at Old Trafford, with Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez ahead of him in the pecking order.

Luke Shaw has also played as a centre-back in recent weeks, while club captain Harry Maguire is also battling for one of the two spots in the middle of the defence.

Lindelof has still managed to make 13 appearances this season, including six in the Premier League, but he was an unused substitute against Charlton Athletic in the EFL Cup on Tuesday night.

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According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Atletico contacted Man United towards the latter stages of 2022 to discuss a possible move for Lindelof.

However, it is understood that the 20-time English champions made it clear that the Sweden international was not available for transfer or loan in January, with head coach Erik ten Hag desperate to keep him.

Lindelof has entered the final 18 months of his contract at Old Trafford, although the club have the option of activating a further 12 months to take him until the summer of 2025.

Ten Hag's desire to keep hold of the Swede is thought to be down to the club's crowded fixture list.

Man United have already played three times this month, beating Bournemouth in the Premier League, Everton in the FA Cup and Charlton in the EFL Cup.

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The Red Devils have another six matches before the end of January, facing Manchester City, Crystal Palace and Arsenal in the Premier League, in addition to Reading in the FA Cup and Nottingham Forest in a two-legged semi-final EFL Cup affair.

Varane is expected to be joined by Martinez in the middle of the defence against Man City on Saturday, which would leave both Maguire and Lindelof on the bench.

Maguire continues to be linked with a move away from Old Trafford, although the England international has vowed to "keep fighting" to regain his starting role in the side.

"It felt good, I played last week as well against Bournemouth. I was unfortunate in terms of when I come back from the World Cup, I had a bad illness, to be honest, and it knocked me back for one or two weeks," Maguire told ESPN.

"I feel good now. We have a lot of good centre halves at this club, there's a lot of competition for places and I'll keep fighting."

There could be a huge shift in centre-backs at the club this summer, with Phil Jones and Axel Tuanzebe widely expected to leave on free transfers at the end of June.