Liverpool risk missing out to title rivals for ‘elite’ 22y/o dubbed Klopp’s ‘number one target’
Liverpool could be at risk of seeing one Premier League title rival push ahead in the transfer race for one reported target.
According to Portuguese outlet A Bola, Arsenal are set to meet the €60m (£51m) release clause for Goncalo Inacio, the Sporting Lisbon defender with whom the Reds have also been linked for some time (The Mirror).
The report stated that the Gunners are ‘tightening [their] grip’ on the 22-year-old, whose club may be powerless to prevent him from leaving in January if Mikel Arteta’s side lodge a bid amounting to the aforementioned figure, despite him signing a contract extension to 2027 as recently as August.
Jurgen Klopp was recently quite defensive when asked if Liverpool would be considering a centre-back signing in the January transfer window following the anterior cruciate ligament injury to Joel Matip.
Naturally the manager won’t want to unsettle his current options with any public declarations, but surely he must be in the ear of Jorg Schmadtke behind the scenes at Anfield in the wake of that major body blow to the Cameroonian.
If the Reds are serious about trying to add to their ranks in that position next month, they could hardly do better than bringing in Inacio, who – when speaking to the EOTK Insider show in September – journalist Steve Kay dubbed the manager’s “number one target”, also calling him an “elite defender”.
The 22-year-old is sublime with the ball at his feet, ranking among the top 2% of centre-backs in Europe this year for passes (89.19), progressive passes (8.67) and progressive carries (1.87) per game, as per FBref.
He can also make a difference in the opposition penalty area, scoring twice in Sporting’s 3-0 win over Sturm Graz in the Europa League on Thursday night.
Liverpool can ill afford to let a direct rival in Arsenal beat them to the punch for such a magnificent player in a position. We may soon get an answer as to whether Kay’s autumn assertion about the Portuguese youngster being Klopp’s “number one target” still rings true.
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