HERE WE GO: £50M Portuguese superstar have finally made up His mind to join Arsenal in January – agreement reached since last Month
Arsenal are prepared to make a January approach to sign Sporting Lisbon centre-back Goncalo Inacio, according to Portuguese publication A Bola.
The Gunners currently have Ben White and Gabriel Magalhaes as the undisputed starters in central defence. Jakub Kiwior is the immediate back-up in the squad, but there are claims that he could leave during the winter transfer window.
AC Milan have been linked with him over the past few weeks and Forza Roma have reported that Roma could also enter the race. The Serie A duo are likely to propose an initial loan deal with an option to buy – likely in the region of €25 million.
Amidst this, A Bola claim that the Gunners are tightening their siege on Inacio and they are preparing an effort to sign him at the start of the year. The source add that the player’s €60 million release clause is within reach of the north London giants.
Arsenal lining up surprise Inacio deal
Inacio has been linked with multiple Premier League clubs and it has been reported elsewhere that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will increase his interest in signing the Portuguese in January. The Reds monitored him earlier this week.
Hence, Arsenal won’t have a straightforward task of landing the 22-year-old. We would also be surprised if the club are willing to spend €60m on him when a new midfielder or a striker should be the main priority for the January transfer window.
Inacio has played in a back three for Sporting for most of his career. Being left-footed, he tends to line up on the left hand side and does not shy away from making advancing runs on the left flank. He has a passing accuracy of 90 per cent this term.
He would be an upgrade on Kiwior and should be able to comfortably play at either centre-back or left-back. The big question mark remains whether Arsenal would be willing to make such a huge outlay on him without recouping funds. Unless Kiwior leaves on loan with a buy obligation, we don’t see the Gunners making a move for Inacio.
