Liverpool gunning to sign £52m ‘jewel’ as Man Utd fight erupts | OneFootball

Liverpool and Manchester United have converged on Goncalo Inacio, with a report revealing that Real Madrid and Barcelona are also keen on signing the Sporting CP star.

Inacio, a product of Sporting’s famed academy, made his first-team debut for the Portuguese giants in October 2020. Since then, the centre-back has played 255 senior matches, chipping in with 23 goals and 15 assists.

Inacio has been pivotal to Sporting winning seven domestic trophies over the past six years, including three Primeira Liga titles. He made 11 appearances in the Champions League this season before Sporting were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Arsenal.

The 24-year-old has long been chased by elite European clubs as he is a left-footed centre-half who possesses good acceleration and is comfortable playing out from the back.

Inacio has been tipped to arrive in the Premier League over several transfer windows, and he is widely expected to secure a big move this summer.

Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport have called him Inacio the ‘jewel’ of Sporting’s squad, and labelled him the ‘strongest central defender’ outside of Europe’s top five leagues.

They claim ‘everyone wants’ the Portugal international as his €60million (£52m) release clause is extremely enticing. Indeed, he is ‘at the top of the wish lists’ of many of Europe’s elite sides.

That exit clause has caught Liverpool and Man Utd’s attention, potentially sparking a huge transfer battle between the rivals.

Real Madrid and Barcelona, meanwhile, ‘would do anything to sign him’.

Inacio grew up following Sporting but is preparing to leave this summer to take the next step in his career.

It emerged on April 15 that Inacio’s fantastic performances have ‘awakened’ Liverpool’s interest in signing him.

Fenway Sports Group (FSG) have identified Inacio as an alternative to fellow defensive targets Nico Schlotterbeck and Alessandro Bastoni.

Schlotterbeck recently penned a new contract with Borussia Dortmund, though it includes a €50-60m (£43-52m) release clause.

Bastoni will be tougher to sign as he is in talks to join Barca.

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Liverpool, Man Utd both tracking Goncalo Inacio

Capturing Inacio would help Liverpool to prepare for life after iconic defender Virgil van Dijk. Inacio would add a decent amount of experience to Liverpool’s defensive options, giving younger players like Giovanni Leoni and Jeremy Jacquet further time to develop.

United are also in the market for recruits at centre-back. INEOS plan to act as Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez have both missed chunks of the season through injury.

Harry Maguire recently signed a contract extension, but United feel they need to add another top-quality centre-half to the squad.

Elsewhere, Liverpool face competition to sign a Juventus star as United have reportedly entered the frame for him.