Chelsea are in battle with Liverpool and Manchester United over a deal to sign Portuguese centre-back Goncalo Inacio from Sporting CP next summer, according to Eduardo Burgos.
Rising through the ranks at Sporting’s renowned academy, the defender made his senior debut in 2020 and has since developed rapidly into a key figure for the club, earning him 20 caps for Portugal.
This season, he has been a constant presence in Rui Borges’ defence, featuring 39 times across all competitions and bringing his total appearances for the club to 255 at just 24 years of age.
Given his consistency at the back for Sporting, it is no surprise that several clubs are monitoring him closely ahead of next summer.
Now, according to Eduardo Burgos, Inacio is on the shortlist of centre-back targets among several top European clubs.
Among the clubs vying for his signature is Chelsea, according to the journalist who claims that the Portuguese defender’s performances this season have piqued the Blues’ interest ahead of next summer.
With a contract at the Estádio José Alvalade that runs until 2030, the report adds that Sporting have placed a £52m release clause on the 6ft 1in centre-back, although the price can be negotiable to a favourable fee amid interest from the Blues.
Battle
However, Liverpool and Manchester United also admire Inacio and are set to battle with the London giants in the race for the Portugal international’s signature in the summer, Bogus adds.
Standing at 6ft 1in, Inacio is a towering left-footed centre-back who can also operate at full-back when called upon. He ranks high in several key defensive metrics this season, especially in on-ball qualities, where he averages a sky-high 90.0% pass completion and a 55% long pass success rate.
With ball-playing being one of his key attributes, the Sporting Academy graduate has been a vital cog for Borges’ team during build-up, and it’s no surprise he has recorded 88.9% successful dribbles this season.
He has also won 61% of his aerial duels and proven reliable at intercepting opponents’ counters and turnovers, averaging 3.2 recoveries per game.
He would undoubtedly be a good fit for Chelsea, who are lacking leadership and cohesion at the back and have now kept only one clean sheet in their last ten games across all competitions.
Having done business with Sporting in recent seasons following the signings of Dario Essugo and Geovany Quenda, the Blues will hope to build on their positive relationship with Sporting to secure a deal for Inacio at a fair price.
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