(Football news) Following a triumphant overhaul of their midfield ahead of the 2023–24 season, the Merseyside giants are anticipated to give priority to defensive line recruits in their post–Jurgen Klopp era.
Joel Matip’s contract expires in June due to an ACL injury that will keep him out of action for the remainder of the season. Additionally, it doesn’t seem like Rhys Williams, Sepp van den Berg, or Nat Phillips will stay at Anfield in the future.
Additionally, Ibrahima Konate has struggled with injuries since joining the team, and club captain Virgil van Dijk’s contract expires at the end of the following season.
With Michael Edwards now working with Fenway Sports Group as their CEO of Football and Richard Hughes’s appointment as sporting director confirmed, the Reds are ramping up their search for a Klopp successor and summer transfer targets.
Sporting Lisbon and Portugal centre-back Goncalo Inacio is one name to have been heavily linked with a Premier League switch, as both Liverpool and Manchester United are said to have taken a liking to him. The two clubs will have to fork out a reasonable £40m if they wish to bring Inacio to England this summer, despite his heftier release clause.
Sporting Lisbon agreed a long-term contract extension with the 22-year-old last August – his terms now run until the summer of 2027 – and the club shook hands on a €60m (£51.3m) buyout clause with his camp.
However, Ruben Amorim’s side are supposedly resigned to losing the left-footed defender at the end of the season, and any sale would go down as pure profit, as Inacio has progressed through the Sporting youth system since 2012.
The six-cap Portugal international now boasts 15 goals and nine assists in 164 matches for Amorim’s men across all competitions, including three strikes from nine Europa League appearances this season before Sporting’s last-16 defeat to Atalanta BC.
Inacio a player of Sporting Lisbon is just one of a handful of highly-rated defenders thought to be on Liverpool’s radar, and the Reds could alternatively target an option closer to home in the shape of Fulham’s Tosin Adarabioyo.
The former Manchester City man could be available as a free agent this summer, but Liverpool may have to fend off Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and AC Milan to bring him to Anfield.
The title-winning defender Piero Hincapie of Bayer Leverkusen, who can play left-back or in the middle of defense, is reportedly up for grabs by both the Reds and Tottenham.
Another potential target is Jorrel Hato of Ajax; however, the 18-year-old just last month signed a new contract with the Eredivisie giants until 2028, and Arsenal, who last year signed Jurrien Timber after striking a deal with their Dutch counterparts, is also keeping an eye on him.
