Chelsea are interested in strengthening their defence with the signing of Sporting Lisbon’s Goncalo Inacio in the January transfer window, according to Spanish outlet Fichajes.
The report claims that manager Mauricio Pochettino is keen on signing the 21-year-old to beef up his defensive options and the West Londoners are prepared to pay ‘good sum of money’ to lure Sporting into selling one of their prized assets.
Inacio was attracting interest from several clubs in the summer including Liverpool and Manchester United but neither Premier League club formalised their interest, hence he remained at Sporting.
The Portugal international is a key player for Rúben Amorim following his outstanding displays for Sporting. He has racked up 126 appearances, scored 11 goals, and registered eight assists in all competitions, since making his debut for the club in a 2-0 away win against Portimonense in 2020.
Inacio featured consistently for his side as they finished 4th in the Primeira Liga table last season – securing Europa League qualification. He made 52 appearances across all competitions and made seven goal contributions for Sporting.
The versatile defender has been involved in all four league games of this campaign as they lie 3rd in the league with 10 points. He extended his contract with Sporting over the summer until 2027 with his buyout clause rising from £39m to £51m (€60m).
Injuries
Chelsea have suffered several injuries in their defensive department with the likes of skipper Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, and Benoit Badiashile all sidelined.
It looks like Pochettino is now hoping to bolster his defensive options in the winter market and the report claims that Inacio is firmly on his radar.
Badiashile is close to making a return to action and could be available for selection as Chelsea travel to Vitality Stadium to take on Bournemouth on Saturday after making good progress in his recovery from a hamstring issue.
The 22-year-old was said to be involved in some internal matches over the international break. This could be good news for Pochettino’s side who have had a slow start to the new season.
The Blues have picked up just four points from their opening four games and are currently eight points behind leaders and defending Premier League champions Manchester City.
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