Liverpool are understood to be considering a late transfer swoop for Sporting Lisbon centre-back Goncalo Inacio amid interest from Aston Villa and Newcastle United in Reds defender Joe Gomez.
Sources with a close understanding of the situation have informed CaughtOffside that Inacio is firmly in Liverpool’s sights and that there could now be a concrete effort to try to bring the talented young Portugal international to Anfield.
Liverpool are open to letting Gomez leave and he has interest from the Premier League, with Newcastle enquiring about him earlier in the summer, while Villa asked for information on him recently, though so far neither club has followed this up with anything more concrete.
Inacio has been monitored by Liverpool and other top clubs for some time, but he’s not the only name on their radar, and it may be that the club will be content to wait to strengthen their defence as they’re also looking to resolve Virgil van Dijk’s future.
Liverpool centre-back transfer plans explained
Van Dijk could be key to understanding what LFC do in the transfer market, as the club are understood to be keen to extend the experienced Dutch defender’s contract by one more year.
As things stand, Van Dijk could be a free agent in a year’s time, but Liverpool would like him to stay for a bit longer, so it may be that moves for players like Inacio could wait.
If, however, Van Dijk does end up leaving at the end of his current contract, names like Benfica’s Antonio Silva and Juventus’ Gleison Bremer are also in Liverpool’s sights as potential replacements.
In the longer term, Liverpool are also keeping an eye on the situation of Kaoru Mitoma at Brighton, though he’s not anticipated to be a top target for the Merseyside giants this summer.
Overall, CaughtOffside understands that Arne Slot is happy with his current Liverpool squad and not desperate for new arrivals before the deadline unless the right players are realistically available.
