According to O Jogo (via SportWitness), Sporting Lisbon defender Goncalo Inacio has the preference to join Manchester United over Newcastle United this summer.
The 21-year-old is one of the best young centre-backs in European football, and O Jogo report that he has put contract talks on hold with Sporting to gauge interest from clubs abroad.
As per the outlet, Man United and Newcastle could be keen on signing him, but it is reported that the latter have not aroused big interest from the player in previous approaches.
O Jogo claim that Inacio has a £39 million release clause in his current deal. Sporting want to increase the value to £51 million by committing him to a new long-term contract.
Talent
Inacio had a promising campaign with Sporting in the Portuguese top-flight. He caught the eye with his strong distribution skills, physical presence and ability to clear his lines.
The Portuguese is now eyeing a bigger challenge and Man United could be tempted to sign him. The Premier League giants have had a good working relationship with Sporting over the years.
They have signed the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Nani, Marcos Rojo and Bruno Fernandes from the Lisbon outfit, and Inacio could be the next in line to make the move to Old Trafford.
Inacio is a left-footed central defender, and United could consider him as a potential deputy to Lisandro Martinez next season.
United manager Erik ten Hag utilised Luke Shaw as the left-footed centre-back on many occasions last season when Martinez was unavailable. Inacio could perfectly fit into that role.
The big question mark is whether ten Hag will give the green light for the transfer. It appears he prefers to sign Napoli superstar Kim Min-jae, who is a right-footed centre-back by trade.
Kim could be a more useful signing for United. The South Korean has operated from the left centre-back spot for Napoli, but he can also play on the right hand side which Inacio can’t.
