Liverpool BLOW as rivals revealed in €60m Inacio chase

Liverpool face competition in their chase for €60 million-rated Sporting CP centre back Goncalo Inacio with Paris Saint-Germain now joining the race.

That’s according to French publication SPORTS ZONE, who report that PSG are seeking the Portugal international as a back-up option should their first-choice move for Lille’s Leny Yoro fall through.

And with the news that the 18-year-old is set on a move to Real Madrid, PSG may well have to look further down their list of potential centre-back signings.

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Inacio, 23, has established himself at the heart of the Sporting defence under Liverpool coaching target Ruben Amorim with the Lisbon side sitting at the top of the Liga Portugal by a point and with a game in hand.

The left-footer has also broken into the Portugal squad under Roberto Martinez and is expected to start at the upcoming European Championship for the Euro 2016 winners.

Sporting moved quickly to tie Inacio down to a new contract once Europe’s top dogs started circling, with a new deal agreed last August.

That contract extends to 2027 and the player’s release clause was upped from €45 million to €60m in the process.

⚡️FLASH ZONE ⚽️

Antero Henrique souhaite faire sortir Gonçalo Inácio du Sporting CP. 🇵🇹

À Paris, la piste privilégiée reste Lenny Yoro, mais Antero veut placer le portugais en cas d’échec.

Le joueur a également été proposé à Liverpool et est suivi depuis plus d’un an. https://t.co/vD5qFOv4yJ pic.twitter.com/E9D7feRwSx

— SPORTS ZONE (@SportsZone__) March 28, 2024

The Lions are expecting to lose both Inacio and central defensive partner Ousmane Diomande this summer with a windfall of €100m expected on the back of selling the duo.

PSG’s interest is said to be orchestrated by their former sporting director, Antero Henrique, who was in place at Parc des Princes to oversee the arrivals of both Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

Now the technical director of the Qatari Stars League, the Portuguese nonetheless retains an unofficial advisory role to the French Ligue 1 giants.

Furthermore, Henrique is the brother-in-law of Sporting manager Ruben Amorim’s wife, Maria.

PSG are set for a radical reset this summer with Mbappe joining Real Madrid on a high-profile free transfer and the club’s “bling bling” days of Lionel Messi and Neymar now in the rearview mirror.

Liverpool looking at Ruben Amorim for coaching position

It was reported earlier in the week that Amorim had been placed top of Liverpool’s list of preferred coaching candidates amid the news that Xabi Alonso was set to stay at Bayer Leverkusen.

The Reds, under new sporting director Richard Hughes, are also seeking central defenders this summer with Joel Matip out of contract.

Inacio and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Willian Pacho are among the candidates to arrive at Anfield with the coaching position still not resolved.

Amorim’s Sporting release clause was revealed this week to be €15m and he could ultimately arrive alongside the centre back he has helped make into a star.