Liverpool look likely to be relatively busy during this summer’s upcoming transfer market.
The Reds are set to face their first end of season window without Jurgen Klopp for nine years. Things will undoubtedly feel a little weird.
But with Michael Edwards back in situ and Richard Hughes joining as sporting director, Liverpool look to have a strong recruitment team in place. Expectations have been heightened.
As we approach the market’s opening, claims have already been made about what the Reds will be targeting. A new forward appears to be on the agenda, with the likes of Mohammed Kudus potentially in the mix.
But before an attacker is brought in, it has been suggested that Liverpool’s priority will acquiring a new centre-back. In that regard, they look to have just been dealt a pretty big blow.
Sporting say Goncalo Inacio is not for sale
There’s little question that Liverpool need a new central defender. Ibrahima Konate is still top-class on his day, but as Jamie Carragher said last month, the Frenchman can’t be trusted to stay fit.
With Virgil van Dijk also turning 33 in July, Liverpool need to start to plan for the future.
For a little while now, Sporting’s Goncalo Inacio has been seen as someone quite heavily on the Reds’ radar. As journalist Graeme Bailey exclusively told us not long ago, Inacio is a player to bear in mind for Liverpool for this summer.
However, according to Portuguese outlet A Bola, the 22-year-old’s current club may have other ideas.
They claim that Sporting have now installed Inacio as an ‘untouchable’ in regards to a sale. Ruben Amorim is said to be counting on him for next season.
The same can reportedly be said for another player linked with Liverpool – midfielder Morten Hjulmand. There is some potential good news though, with the Portuguese champions claimed to be ready to negotiate for Inacio’s centre-back partner Ousmane Diomande.
Who could Liverpool target instead
It has long been thought that Inacio could be a perfect addition for Liverpool. Now a double title winner at just 22, he looks ready for a step up.
But if the Portugal international really is off the table, then the Reds have plenty of other options besides.
Diomande could be one, with Liverpool said to have been one of the teams looking at the Ivory Coast international in January.
Another could be Eintracht Frankfurt’s Willian Pacho. The Reds have been heavily linked with Pacho in the run-up to the summer.
What appears to be missing from this story though, is that Inacio seemingly has a release clause of around £51m. If a club triggers that, then there’s little Sporting can do to stop it. Don’t rule this one out just yet, we’d say.
