According to Portuguese outlet Correio da Manha, Liverpool are keeping tabs on Sporting Lisbon defender Goncalo Inacio ahead of a summer move.
The Merseyside giants have had a poor Premier League season and they are currently ninth in the table. The club are already a staggering 19 points behind leaders Arsenal.
Hence, their title challenge is already over and Liverpool will be hoping to close the nine-point gap to fourth-place Newcastle United to qualify for the Champions League.
Regardless of this, Liverpool could be busy in the summer and Correio da Manha claim that the club are monitoring Inacio ahead of a potential transfer approach.
The 21-year-old currently has a buy-out clause worth £40 million in his contract.
Talent
Inacio has been fancied to move to the Premier League for the last 12 months. Manchester United and Wolves were first linked and Liverpool have now entered the race.
The 21-year-old is one of the best upcoming centre-backs in Portuguese football and he has been a solid presence for Sporting over the course of the ongoing season.
As per WhoScored, the central defender has completed 90 per cent of his passes per appearance while making 1 tackle, 1 interception and winning more than 2 clearances.
He has the potential to become a star of the future and could move in the foot steps of Ruben Dias, who has been superb for Manchester City since his move from Benfica.
Inacio would be a brilliant signing for Liverpool. With Joel Matip and Joe Gomez struggling for form and consistency, one of them could be offloaded to make way for Inacio.
The Portuguese is a left-footed centre-back. Liverpool don’t have a similar profile in the squad and we could see Inacio become a regular starter under manager Jurgen Klopp.
At the current stage, Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate are probably Liverpool’s best centre-backs. Inacio could take up Van Dijk’s position as he is no longer in his prime.
