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Ah yes, Victor Lindelof... the one that got away.

The strapping Swedish international stopper, 22, has just sealed a £31m move to Manchester United to become the most expensive Old Trafford defender ever, beating the £29.1m shelled out to Leeds for Rio Ferdinand in 2002.

Yet Boro almost brought him to Teesside for a snip 18 months ago before he wriggled off the hook after a frustrating on-off transfer saga.

As the transfer deadline loomed in January 2015 Boro believed they had agreed a deal for the hot prospect central defender. He was due to join Boro on loan until the end of the season with an option for a permanent move in the summer for an initial £5m.

Three times Boro big-wigs thought the deal was done and dusted. Three times the Gazette wrote he was set to sign. Three times he was almost on the plane. And three times it fell through.

A long time on the radar

If nothing else the move shows Boro’s scouting system knows where the hidden gems are, even if the club couldn’t land him in the end.

Boro had been following Lindelof for years. Gary Gill had spotted him playing for Swedish second tier part-timers Västerås SK aged 16 and kept tabs on him as he developed.

Lindelof had trials at a string of clubs, including Stoke who baulked at the €300,000 asking price, before joining Benfica’s Academy in 2012 and was a late call up but became one of the stars of Sweden’s victory in the UEFA Under-21 Championships in the Czech Republic in 2015.

He featured in every game, including the clash with England where he lined up against Ben Gibson, and scored the winning penalty in a 4-3 shoot-out win against Portugal in the final in Prague.

But he wasn’t getting a game at Benfica - he had played just once for the senior side in the league - and as Aitor Karanka looked to beef up the promotion push, Boro made their move.

How the deal(s) fell through

Boro initially thought they had agreed a deal that suited all parties. Benfica were happy to get a loan fee and future for a fringe player and Lindelof was excited at the prospect of playing in England for a side pushing for the Premier League.

Boro were convinced they had their man. The chairman told The Gazette the deal was done. Lindelof was flying in today.

But that first move faltered over a red tape row between the player and his agent over commissions. It turned out that the agent wasn’t FIFA registered and while he was cleared to work in Portugal he wasn’t able to broker international deals.

Lindelof changed his representation and the deal was back on - but Benfica had moved the goalposts. They tried to insert new clauses. They wanted an increased promotion bonus and a bigger loan fee. The talks got sticky.

Boro persevered and haggled and thought they had reached an agreement. Again. Boro booked the seats on the plane. Again. They told The Gazette the deal was done. Again.

Then the saga took a twist as Benfica played Lindelof in a Portuguese League Cup game following an injury to Lisandro Lopez. Suddenly the Portuguese side needed him. The deal was off.

A few days later frustrated Boro tried again after some encouraging noises from Benfica and following some intense horse-trading over a host of complex clauses they thought they finally, definitely, honestly had him in the bag. There was a familiar Gazette back page.

But as the deadline loomed and pens were poised, Benfica - who had the upper hand - again tried to belatedly change the terms. They wanted Boro to pick up the 20% sell on clause to Vasteras. They wanted the performance clauses dramatically increased after promotion. Boro walked away.

What happened next?

Given his chance, Lindelof established himself as a first team fixture - and quickly attracted far bigger suitors.

The centre-back made 47 appearances as Benfica won a Portuguese domestic double last season and played in the Champions League with Roma and Manchester United watching closely. Jose Mourinho was a big fan.

United actually made a move for Lindelof in the January window last season but - proving that is not something peculiar to Boro - they also got dragged into a drawn out saga and twice thought they had a deal before the mooted moves fell through.