RUMOURS: Man Utd ready to spend £45m on defensive duo

Manchester United are ready to spend £45 million on a pair of centre-backs in a bid to force through qualification for next season's Champions League, according to the Daily Express.

The report claims United are prepared to spend the bulk of that amount on Benfica defender Victor Lindelof, while Jose Mourinho is also believed to be keen on Southampton defender Jose Fonte.

Lindelof looks set to seal a switch to Old Trafford now that a dispute between Benfica and his former club Vasteras has been resolved.

Fonte, on the other hand, has handed in a transfer request at Southampton in an attempt to engineer a move to United.