Erik ten Hag blocked sale of Manchester United star to Bundesliga club - Reports

Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt have no chance of signing Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof, according to German tabloid newspaper BILD (h/t Sport Witness).

Evan Ndicka and Almamy Toure will leave Frankfurt when their contracts end on June 30. Hence, the Bundesliga club are on the search for two new central defenders this summer.

According to the aforementioned source, Lindelof, 28, was among those under consideration at Frankfurt. The Bundesliga club began efforts to sign the centre-back as early as January.

Frankfurt had a deal in place to sign Lindelof in last season's winter transfer window, as per the report. However, the proposed transfer fell through after Ten Hag refused to sanction the defender's exit.

The Dutch tactician wanted to keep Lindelof in his ranks for the remainder of the 2022-23 season. The tactician's stance was also influenced by injuries to his first-choice centre-back pairing Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane.

Frankfurt reportedly remained hopeful of signing Lindelof to replace Ndicka. However, Oliver Glasner's side have been definitively informed that they have no chance of roping in the Swede.

Lindelof is one of four senior centre-backs Manchester United have, with Martinez, Varane and Harry Maguire being the others. The Red Devils are expected to bolster their options in the area this summer. They have been linked with several defenders, including Napoli's Kim Min-jae and AS Monaco's Axel Disasi.

The Old Trafford outfit could sell one of their senior central defenders if they bring in a new player in the position. Maguire has been heavily linked with a move away from the club but is reluctant to leave, according to talkSPORT.

Hence, it remains to be seen if they change their stance on Lindelof, who's set to enter the final year of his contract at Old Trafford.

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Victor Lindelof's Manchester United career in numbers

Victor Lindelof joined Manchester United from Benfica for €35 million in 2017. He has been a regular for the English giants, making 231 appearances across competitions. The defender also has three goals and six assists.

The Sweden international won his first trophy with the Red Devils in February, beating Newcastle United 2-1 in the EFL Cup final. Lindelof was an unused substitute at Wembley but played four games on the road to glory.

He started for Manchester United in the FA Cup final against Manchester City on Saturday (June 3). However, things did not go according to plan, as the Cityzens won 2-1.

Lindelof played 35 games across competitions for the Premier League giants in the 2022-23 season. Injuries to Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane allowed him more playing time.