Rumour Mongering: Liverpool Target Man United-Linked Gonçalo Inácio

It used to be that when Liverpool were linked with yet another supposedly highly rated, highly valued player out of Portugal it was safe to roll your eyes and move on such was the poor track record of such links ever resulting in player signings.

Then Liverpool went out and bought Luis Diaz and Darwin Nuñez from Portuguese clubs and beyond that found themselves credibly linked with other players in that league. Now, a new link out of Portugal has to be at least given some consideration.

So we find ourselves today with a second linked player from the Portuguese league—after earlier links with Benfica defensive midfielder Florentino Luis—with CM Journal claiming that the Reds have now targeted Sporting centre half Gonçalo Inácio.

The 21-year-old Portuguese youth international is already into his third season as a regular for the Lisbon-based club he grew up at, having made 64 first team appearances to date after joining Sporting from local side Almada in 2012 as a ten-year-old.

Signing him could also be relatively straightforward given Inácio has a €45M (£40M) release clause. Previously he has been linked with Real Madrid, Newcastle, and Manchester United—with United considered to be his strongest suitors last summer.

In addition to increasingly looking for players in Portugal over the past few years, recently there have been a number of rumours linking the Reds with centre halves alongside speculation that Joël Matip could depart the club at the end of the season.