I want to play at Old Trafford – Man Utd prepared to pay release clause to sign “amazing” £60m Portugal star in January transfer window

I want to play at Old Trafford – Man Utd prepared to pay release clause to sign “amazing” £60m Portugal star in January transfer window

Manchester United seemingly have their eye on the January transfer window, and the Red Devils are now reportedly prepared to pay one target’s release clause.

Man Utd transfer news – centre-backs
Erik ten Hag’s side have already lost nine games in all competitions this season, with the most recent coming against FC Copenhagen in the Champions League.

The Dutchman once again opted to go with Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans at centre-back, leaving Raphael Varane on the bench. The Frenchman did replace Evans early on in the 4-3 defeat, however, he now hasn’t started the last four games for the Red Devils.

A new centre-back appears to be on the radar in 2024, with recent reports suggesting Varane could be of interest to clubs in Saudi Arabia.

One player who has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford is Sporting CP’s Goncalo Inacio. The 22-year-old has been catching the eye of United and Premier League rivals Liverpool and European giants Real Madrid, with Fabrizio Romano previously labelling him as an “amazing option” and a “very rare” player.

“Goncalo Inacio continues to impress as one of the top young defenders in Europe, showing huge potential with Sporting Lisbon and recently working his way onto Manchester United’s potential list of targets.

But there is also Liverpool – the Reds have always been in the stands to scout and follow Inacio, but at the same time they never sent official bids or started negotiations.

“There’s nothing new so far, as he signed a new deal at Sporting in August as there was nothing concrete happening with UK clubs. Still, I think he’d be an amazing option for any club, Liverpool or United in particular; left footed players at that level are very rare to find.”

Man Utd ready to trigger Goncalo Inacio’s release clause
According to a recent development covered by Correio da Manha, relayed by The Faithful MUFC, Man Utd are now prepared to trigger the player’s €60m (£52.3m) release clause in January by making an initial payment of €45m (£39.2m) and the remaining €15m in installments. United, Liverpool and Real Madrid are all planning to send their scouts to watch Inacio in action when Sporting take on Benfica in the Primeira Liga.

Inacio is a product of Sporting CP’s youth system and has gone on to become a regular for the club at first-team level.

In total, the centre-back has made 137 senior appearances for Sporting, scoring 11 goals and providing eight assists. (Goncalo Inacio stats – Transfermarkt)

He’s also now a senior Portugal international, and by the looks of things, he is going from strength to strength with a career-high €30m Transfermarkt valuation.

Therefore, the left-footed centre-back could be just what the Red Devils need, especially as four of their five centre-backs are aged 29 or over. Inacio could represent a sign of building for the future, possibly forming a partnership with Lisandro Martinez in the long run, making this one to watch heading into 2024