First Ratcliffe Man Utd signing ‘leaked’ as Liverpool drop from race to sign £52.5m Portugal talent
Manchester United and Liverpool target Goncalo Inacio of Sporting Lisbon
Manchester United are making serious progress in their bid to sign Goncalo Inacio, with Portuguese media suggesting Sir Jim Ratcliffe already has a payment plan in place to bring the Sporting Lisbon star to Old Trafford.
Erik ten Hag has made no secret of his wish to a new defender at Old Trafford, having probed possible deals for a couple of solid options in the summer. However, Manchester United decided to pursue more pressing positions over the summer window, despite discussion possible transfers with the likes of Axel Disasi and Jean-Clair Todibo.
And while United’s hesitancy saw Chelsea step in to land Disasi in a €45m (£39.4m) deal from Monaco, Todibo opted to stay at Nice for the time being at least to help further his development after a tricky spell at Barcelona.
At the time, United decided not to pursue deals for either defender with any purchase resting on their ability to offload Harry Maguire.
The England defender had slipped to fourth choice under Ten Hag and held talks over a possible move to West Ham, with David Moyes keen to add the 30-year-old to his mix.
Ultimately, that deal failed to go through and Maguire has fought his way back into Ten Hag’s plans since. Ironically, he now looks to be first-choice again under Ten Hag with some much-improved displays in the heart of their defensive rearguard.
Instead, it now looks like it is Raphael Varane who could be on his way. And rumours are growing stronger that the player is a target for Saudi Arabian sides as they gear up for another round of big-name signings.
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Man Utd have plan in place to sign Goncalo Inacio in leaked report
It’s certainly not been a vintage season for the Varane, who Paul Scholes last week suggesting the World Cup winner’s “legs have gone”.
Indeed, the 30-year-old appears to have fallen victim himself in recent weeks to Ten Hag’s team decisions, finding himself on the bench and behind both Maguire and free-transfer summer signing Jonny Evans in the pecking order.
And with talk gathering pace that a January exit is on the cards, United are pushing ahead with plans to sign a new defender after all.
However, despite still holding interest in Todibo, reports in Portugal claim it is a move for Inacio which is on the cards instead.
The Sporting Lisbon defender is regarded as one of the best young central defenders in world football, with a €60m (£52.5m) exit clause in his deal reflecting that.
He has been strongly linked with Liverpool for several months, who have made multiple checks on his progress.
Jurgen Klopp, however, is rumoured to be closing on the signing of Bournemouth’s Lloyd Kelly instead, giving United a straigth path towards the signing of Inacio.
And according to Correio da Manha, United’s incoming new minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe, already has a plan in place to bring the 22-year-old to Old Trafford.
Man Utd to move Raphael Varane on for 22 y/o Sporting star
Per the report, sources have reportedly leaked to them that United have put a payment plan in place to land the defender from Sporting in January and become the first new signing of the Ratcliffe era.
And they claim that United ‘do not find the price tag intimidating’ though do hope to slightly restructure the deal to give them more faviourable terms.
As a result, United are hoping to negotiate a deal which will grant Sporting a guaranteed €45m (£39.3m) fee, with a further €15m (£13.1m) made up in bonuses and add-ons.
It’s suggested United are ‘hopeful’ they can conclude his signing quickly by means of what is described as a close relationship with Sporting CP, whom they signed Bruno Fernandes from in January 2019, having also raided them for Cristiano Ronaldo way back in 2003.
Sporting coach Ruben Amorim, himself responding to speculation recently that he could replace Ten Hag as United manager, will be saddened to lose his star defender.
However, knowing the €60m clause makes them vulnerable to his exit, he stated last week that he hopes his club hold out for his full valuation.
“If they pay the release clause, he has to go, if they don’t, nobody will leave.”
However, it’s reported that the deal will go ahead, making Inacio the first arrival of what many supporters hope will be a bright new era at Old Trafford.
Ratcliffe is expected to assume a more vigorous control of United’s incomings and outgoings on the transfer front.
And while he is reportedly unhappy at the millions wasted in recent years, he intends to follow the Liverpool and Arsenal model of signing the best young talent and ensuring the club will not see player values decline in the way United have on the likes of Varane and Casemiro, both of whom signed for the Red Devils for hefty fees but in the autumn of their careers.
