Barcelona have reportedly joined Manchester United in the race to sign Sporting CP defender Goncalo Inacio, who could be sold for €40 million this summer.
According to A Bola, Barcelona have entered the race to sign Sporting CP’s Portuguese defender Goncalo Inacio, who is also on the radars of Premier League giants Manchester United this summer.
Inacio has been on Sporting’s books since 2012, when he joined their academy from Almada AC. Having risen through the ranks at the club, the 20-year-old made his first-team debut in October 2020. Since then, he has grown into a regular in the senior side, racking up 70 appearances, of which 45 came in the recently-concluded season.
Inacio has made represented the Portuguese national team across various age-group levels and was recently called up to the senior side by Fernando Santos. However, the young centre-half is yet to make his bow for A Selecao. The 20-year-old’s promise and potential have alerted several clubs across Europe over a possible move, with Manchester United linked the heaviest.
Manchester United are in the market for new defenders after an abysmal season last time out. The pair of Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire has been hardly convincing while marquee signing Raphael Varane endured an injury-riddled debut campaign in England. With Phil Jones and Eric Bailly set to be sold this summer, new manager Erik ten Hag wants to sign a new centre-back.
Inacio, to that end, has emerged as one of the targets for Manchester United, with reports claiming that the 20-time English champions were close to signing him. However, Manchester United will now have to contend with competition from Barcelona in the race to secure the services of the 20-year-old from Sporting CP.
Barcelona, too, are on the lookout for a new defender this summer, despite having a deal in place to sign Andreas Christensen on a Bosman deal. The Catalan giants are ready to offload Samuel Umtiti, Clement Lenglet and Oscar Mingueza in the upcoming window, while manager Xavi Hernandez has decided not to count on Gerard Pique as a regular anymore.
Hence, Barcelona are aiming to add another talented defender to their ranks, with Jules Kounde emerging as their primary target. However, with Chelsea also in the race for the French international and his massive price tag, the Blaugrana seem to be keeping their options by identifying possible alternatives.
Napoli mainstay Kalidou Koulibaly is one such option that Barcelona are looking at, while they have now joined the race for Goncalo Inacio as well. The 20-year-old Portuguese ace has a release clause worth €45 million in his contract with Sporting CP that runs until 2026. However, the report mentions that they are willing to sell Inacio for a fee of €40 million.
The €40 million valuation should not be an issue for Manchester United, who could also be in a position to offer him a better contract than Barcelona. So, it remains to be seen if the Catalans have the financial wherewithal to pull off a deal for Inacio.
