Liverpool plan to sign a central defender this summer and Sporting Lisbon’s Goncalo Inacio is on the club’s radar as Jurgen Klopp looks to strengthen his backline, according to Football Insider.
The report claims the Reds are focussed on signing a central midfielder after missing out on Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia but Klopp is also expected to make a move for a new defender during the latter stages of the month.
Klopp’s side conceded 47 league goals last season as they missed out on Champions League football after finishing 5th in the Premier League table. Injuries and loss of form contributed to Liverpool’s poor performances in defence so it looks like Klopp wants to add some depth.
The German has Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate as his first-choice centre-back pairing but injuries to the latter saw Klopp deploy third and fourth-choice centre-backs Joel Matip and Joe Gomez alongside Van Dijk last term.
Also, the 56-year-old’s new system seems to favour a left-sided centre-back who could defend and also join the attack when the opportunity arises.
First-choice left-back Andy Robertson has struggled for consistency since Klopp changed formation – deploying newly appointed vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold in a midfield role.
Reinforcement
Though Liverpool have four centre-backs on the books, Football Insider says they are still in the market to add another defender to their ranks during the closing stages of the window.
The report says Sporting Lisbon star Inacio remains a key target for the Merseysiders and Liverpool could sign the youngster by triggering his £39m release clause.
The 21-year-old is one of the best young defenders in Portugal and is attracting interest from several clubs. Inacio featured in 52 games across all competitions for Sporting Lisbon and made seven goal contributions last season as they finished 4th in the Primeira Liga table. He has helped the club win Primeira Liga, Taca da Liga as well as Supertaca Candido de Oliveira.
The Portugal international was in action for Ruben Amorim’s side in their league opener against Vizela over the weekend. Liverpool are yet to formalise their interest but we could see them step up their interest over the coming weeks.
Read more: Liverpool eye move to sign £32m Eredivisie star as Klopp identifies new midfield target – report
