Liverpool and Manchester United have been made aware that they will have to trigger Sporting CP star Goncalo Inácio’s £52m release clause to secure the defender’s signature next year.
After revamping their engine room last summer, the Merseyside club are now seemingly planning to strengthen their centre-back position by signing a new defender in the upcoming transfer window.
A few options have been mentioned as key targets for the Reds with Inacio being among them. However, it has been suggested that Man Utd are also looking to sign a new defender in January to address their defensive issues and have identified Inácio as a serious target.
However, quoted by O Jogo(via Sport Witness) Sporting boss, Ruben Amorim has warned that Inácio isn’t going to leave the club unless his potential suitors such as Liverpool or Man Utd trigger his £52m release clause.
When asked what will it take to convince Sporting to sell Inacio, Amorim said:
“If they pay the release clause, he[Goncalo Inacio] has to go, if they don’t, nobody will leave.”
The Portuguese outlet claims that along with Liverpool and Man Utd, Real Madrid are also eyeing a swoop for Inácio so the Premier League clubs are set to face fierce competition from the Spanish giants in getting any potential deal done for the defender.
Battle
Inácio is a versatile player as he is a left-sided centre-back by traits but can also be deployed in the left-back position. He is quick, good in the air, comfortable playing out from the back, excellent in defensive contributions and also reads the game well.
So, the Portuguese would be a great coup for Man Utd or Liverpool if either club manage to secure his signature in the upcoming transfer window.
However, it has been suggested that having spent over £150m in the last transfer window, Man Utd can’t afford to spend big in January as their budget has been restricted due to FFP regulations.
They reportedly can only sign players on loan or for cheap in January. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that they will be able to broker a deal for Inácio in the winter window to reinforce their backline. So, Liverpool are seemingly ahead of Man Utd in the race to sign Inácio in the upcoming window.
