Fabrizio Romano has highlighted one potential advantage that Liverpool could hold over Manchester United in the transfer race for Goncalo Inacio.
The Italian told GIVEMESPORT that both clubs have held ‘conversations’ about a possible move for the Sporting Lisbon defender, although there’s one glaring matter still to be resolved at Old Trafford before they can declare the 22-year-old to be their primary target.
The club are nearing the end of a review which’ll decide whether or not they’ll persist with Erik ten Hag as manager (Sky Sports), with uncertainly continuing to abound over his future.
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Romano outlined that United would need to sort out that situation first before honing in on transfer targets, saying of Inacio: “I would not say main target at this point, because obviously, before you decide the manager, you can’t have a real main target.”
The reporter continued: “They had some contacts and conversations about Goncalo Inacio, they’ve been scouting him, Man United and Liverpool, both clubs. They are informed about how his release clause works, it’s €60m (£51m), so they know everything about Inacio and the possibility to bring him in.”
Prior to Arne Slot being selected as Liverpool’s new head coach a few weeks ago, the roles may have been reversed regarding the pursuit of Inacio, but now it’s United who are in a state of flux as regards who’ll be leading the team next season.
Amid the ongoing speculation over Ten Hag’s future, the Anfield hierarchy need to exploit that situation to their advantage and get a head start over their arch-rivals in the chase for the Portugal defender.
A decision on the Old Trafford manager is expected within the next week (Sky Sports), so the clock is ticking for Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes to pounce upon the uncertainty in Manchester and steal a march over the 22-year-old.
Inacio is a classy operator who stands out for his composure in possession – he ranks among the top 1% of centre-backs in Europe over the past year for progressive passes per game (8.56), the top 8% for progressive carries per 90 (1.27) and the top 11% for pass completion (89.1%), as per FBref.
Liverpool have a golden opportunity to be ruthless and make their rivals regret kicking the can down the road regarding Ten Hag, but that potential transfer advantage mightn’t last too much longer.
That time-honoured cliche about striking while the iron is hot comes to mind – over to you, Edwards and Hughes.
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