Jurgen Klopp wants Goncalo Inacio at Liverpool
According to Correio da Manha (page 26), Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has determined that Goncalo Inacio, a star player for Sporting Lisbon, is the perfect partner for Virgil van Dijk in center defense.
The Portuguese center back has been linked to a move to the Premier League for the past several years, and Correio da Manha (CdM) reports that he has always wanted to play in the top division in England.
He has been under observation by the Reds for almost two seasons, and Klopp has instructed the club’s administration to sign him when the transfer window reopens at the beginning of 2024.
The German strategist views Inacio as a “priority” for January and wants him to partner with Van Dijk. Currently, Inacio has a release clause worth €60 million (£52 million), which does put off liverpool.
The main concern for the Merseyside giants could be the competition from Manchester United, Manchester City and Real Madrid in the New Year, as per today’s update from CdM.
Liverpool best placed to sign Inacio this winter
The Reds were prepared to pay £111 million to sign Moises Caicedo last summer but he ended up choosing to join Chelsea.
The club’s management clearly has money to spend during the January transfer window because they only used a small percentage of that sum to recruit Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern Munich.
They will have a great chance of landing Inacio over United, for example, because of this. We don’t think Real Madrid or Manchester City will spend a lot of money on a center back in the middle of the season.
Due to the lack of owner investment, United is currently in a difficult Financial Fair Play scenario. As a result, they may find it difficult to meet Sporting’s demand for the majority of the Inacio cost up front.
Inacio would be a fine acquisition for Liverpool. He is a strong ball-playing centre-back who likes to clear his lines. He has also been effective in making ball recoveries and has a good physical presence.
The Portuguese would provide a different dimension to the Reds’ backline, considering he is left-footed. He would no doubt command a starting role and could offer good competition to Ibrahima Konate.
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His father, Lillian Thuram, played 144 times for Juventus and after his brother, Marcus, moved to Inter Milan, Khephren could be tempted to move to Serie A as well.
Inter Milan are also interested but a report from Corriere dello Sport, however, suggests Liverpool have an advantage in that their finances are superior to that of Serie A clubs.
Nice want €40 million (£34.8m) to sell Thuram and now, Liverpool can finally move to sign the Frenchman after pursuing him in the summer without success.
The Reds reportedly reached an agreement with the 22-year-old over personal terms at Anfield so the foundations are already laid for another attempt at signing him.
Standing at six foot four, Thuram should not struggle with the physicality of the Premier League but it’s his technical traits that are so impressive.
He’s an out of the box option for Liverpool to sign in the defensive midfield department but he may not be available in January after choosing to stay at Nice for another season.
Speaking on transfer interest in the summer, Thuram revealed why he ultimately decided to stay in Ligue 1.
The midfielder said: “I wanted to continue to progress at Nice, and progress as a player at this club.
“Honestly, it made me happy to be linked to all these clubs left, right and centre. It shows I’m doing the right things but as I said, I knew I wanted to stay here.”
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