This paper contains a model predictive control (MPC) approach for high voltage direct current (HVDC) lines, where in particular the voltage source converter (VSC) HVDC configuration is investigated. The target is to develop a control method which, given the requested power and alternating/direct voltage references, yields an appropriate set of voltage references to be fed to the modulation scheme of the VSC. Since the chosen control approach directly encompasses the multivariable nature of the problem, no phase locked loop (PLL) is required for dq frame alignment, increasing performance and facilitating tuning in the case of weak grids. The considered system is described, the derived control procedure is illustrated and numerical simulations are presented showing the performance of the proposed approach.