Liverpool look set to make the first signing of the Arne Slot reign, with an ironic twist on the transfer.
The Feyenoord manager is set to assume the hot seat at Anfield at the end of the season, with outgoing boss Jurgen Klopp leaving after nine years. The move is yet to be confirmed but it is expected that there will be plenty of squad churn over the summer, with comings and goings on Merseyside.
But while there are plenty of stars known to Slot who have been linked with moves to Liverpool, his first signing could be well be one linked for months – and expected to join under very different circumstances.
CaughtOffside notes that Sporting defender Goncalo Inacio looks bound for the Premier League, with the Merseysiders heading the queue over rivals Manchester United – and the 22-year-old is ”keen” on a move and ready to leave his home country.
Inacio has been rumoured to be on Liverpool's radar for a long time now but whispers intensified when his manager in Lisbon, Ruben Amorim, was heavily linked with the Liverpool job. It would certainly be a test if the centre-back were to make the move without Amorim, with the Portuguese boss losing one of his best players to a club he failed to get the job at.
In FourFourTwo's view, the links are well-placed given that Liverpool have been looking for a left-sided centre-back for a long time, now – but Inacio is no dead cert to leave the Primeira Liga.
With Liverpool likely needing to conduct big-money business this summer, the price will have to be right – and Sporting will drive a hard bargain with a big release likely for one of the most coveted defenders in Europe.
Inacio is valued at €40 million by Transfermarkt.
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Liverpool star Mohamed Salah has been told that his contract isn't a “priority” ahead of the new season, with Arne Slot “not worried” about sealing his move to the Reds. A new theory has emerged over the delay confirming Slot. One defender on Merseyside could move, too. Meanwhile, a replacement for Nunez has been touted.
