Report: Club are hoping Liverpool will come in and trigger release clause for £52m 'jewel' after the World Cup
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Liverpool are expected to have an active summer transfer window with a number of targets already mooted.The transfer news at Anfield continues to emerge as the opening of the window on June 15 nears.Ahead of the summer, Liverpool have now been credited with an interest in Sporting defender Goncalo Inacio. You can only pick ONE player for Liverpool to sign this summer, who is it?
Who should Richard Hughes be targeting above all… Photo Credit: Getty Images/Robin Jones Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United linked to Goncalo InacioLiverpool were linked to Inacio back in 2024, but a move never came to pass, and he has remained in Portugal.The centre-back is currently under contract with Sporting until the summer of 2030, but has a release clause in his contract.The latest update from Italian outlet Gazzetta Dello Sport claims that figure is around the £51.9m mark.And according to their information, it is seen as attractive to the three aforementioned Premier League teams.Gazzetta state: “Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester United—can’t remain indifferent to a release clause of “mere” €60 million. Sporting is therefore preparing for the next multi-million dollar sale, hoping that the World Cup showcase will further enhance the value of their jewel, Gonçalo Inácio.”Liverpool will already have fresh legs in defence next seasonWhether Inacio ends up at Liverpool remains to be seen, but as long as Ibrahima Konate signs a new contract, Arne Slot should have a lot of options in the centre of his back four next season.Jeremy Jacquet will arrive at Anfield over the summer and will hopefully be injury-free by the time 2026/27 gets underway.Elsewhere, after playing just one match in the current campaign, Slot has praised Giovanni Leoni ahead of his return to action later this year.He said last week: “If you look at Giovanni Leoni, I don’t know if you once in a while see some Instagram posts of the club, but this guy has become a beast!”Both are fairly young centre-backs, but Inacio could be targeted as a more experienced option, of course.
But if Liverpool do not sign a new central defender this summer, it probably wouldn’t be that big an issue, provided Konate remains put.Join Our NewsletterReceive a digest of our best Liverpool content each week direct to your mailbox