Newcastle United could submit an offer for Sporting CP’s Goncalo Inacio, and a fresh report has revealed the chances of him moving to the Premier League.
Inacio is indeed left-footed but his natural role is a centre-back which is the position he’s played in for 114 of 115 appearances since the start of his career, as per Transfermarkt, and having been heavily linked with a move to the top-flight, there’s a strong possibility that his next chapter could see him making the trip to England.
The Magpies were reported to have been exploring a swoop for the 22-year-old last month, and whilst noise surrounding that pursuit quietened down at the time, it appears that a deal is once again being talked about behind the scenes.
Football Transfers claim that PIF and Eddie Howe could revisit a move for the Portugal international, who is also attracting interest from Liverpool and Manchester United, via the same outlet, but it’s been made clear that the chances of an approach would likely be dependent on the severity of the injury to Sven Botman.
The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope has delivered a promising update on the Dutchman by confirming that his ankle problem doesn’t look as bad as initially feared which the boss will be happy to hear, but regardless, it doesn’t appear to be stopping him from chasing Inacio.
Are Newcastle signing Goncalo Inacio?
According to Portuguese newspaper A Bola (via Sport Witness), Newcastle are “still to make a formal offer” for Inacio, but that could change in the “next few hours”.
The St. James’ Park outfit have shown a continual “harassment” regarding a swoop for the defender this summer, and it’s this that is tempting them to test the waters before Friday.
Sporting’s prized asset is protected by a €60m (£51m) release clause which is set to be his asking price, though a transfer “isn’t ruled out” because his club could yet enter the market to find a suitable replacement.
According to members of the media, Inacio is a defensive “dominator” which is true considering that he’s averaging 2.3 clearances and 1.3 aerial wins per league game this season, via WhoScored, not to mention that he’s won all four of the tackles he’s made.
The Almada native, however, also poses a threat at the opposite end of the pitch having posted 19 senior goal contributions (11 goals and eight assists) for Ruben Amorim’s side, alongside ranking in the 97th percentile for progressive carries, showing his desire to play out from the back and push his team as high up the pitch as possible.
Sporting’s academy graduate, who knows what it takes to be successful at the highest level having won four pieces of silverware, even has experience competing in the Champions League, so with the black and white stripes having qualified for this competition, it makes sense to recruit a player who has been there and done it, so it could be one to keep an eye on.