Liverpool will have to pay more than they’d hoped to sign 21-year-old, his club are raising the price

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Reported Liverpool target Goncalo Inacio is set to sign a new contract at Sporting, raising his release clause.

The centre-back is claimed to be on the Reds’ list of defensive targets during the summer transfer window. According to previous reports, he’d be available to buy for around £39m, the cost of his current exit clause.

But now, as per Portuguese outlet Record, that cost is set to be raised. They claim that Inacio will sign a new deal with Sporting, with his release clause increased.

The Lisbon side will reportedly attempt to tie up the deal when the 21-year-old returns from his summer holiday in early July.

This could be bad news for Liverpool, as they look to bolster their defence.

Inacio moves out of Liverpool reach

Reports from March suggested that Sporting were looking to add between £15-30m to Inacio’s release clause. This could mean Liverpool have to pay up to £70m to guarantee they sign the Portugal international.

As good as he is, if that ends up being the case then there’s no way this happens.

Even if the clause ends up being a more modest £55m or so, it still feels unlikely that Liverpool will trigger it.

That will be disappointing news to some fans, who were getting excited over what Inacio could bring to the team. Left-footed and vastly experienced for his age, the Sporting man looks like being a star of the future.

With his price potentially rocketing up over the next month, maybe it’s still worth the Reds trying to trigger his current release clause before that happens.

In the meantime, they continue to be linked to other targets, including World Cup winner Benjamin Pavard yesterday.

Pavard is reportedly available for as little as £25m this summer. As Inacio’s asking-price looks set for a shot in the arm, we can see Liverpool turning to some slightly less expensive options instead.