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Arsenal have expressed an interest in Manchester United target, Gonçalo Inácio, according to a new report.
The 21-year-old defender has had an excellent season with Sporting Lisbon and is admired by a number of Premier League clubs.
With Arsenal entering the picture, as Correio de Manha reports that United will worry about the prospect of yet another target slipping away while rivals strengthen.
A move for Napoli’s star defender, Kim Min-jae, was heavily mooted this summer, however, that appears to be completely dead, with the player having agreed to terms with Bayern Munich.
United are known to have been scouting the left-footed Inácio with a view to shoring up Erik ten Hag’s defensive options as the club prepares for an exodus of its first-team centre-backs.
Phil Jones has already made an emotional exit from Old Trafford, with Eric Bailly and Axel Tuanzebe all but certain to do the same.
Meanwhile, club captain, Harry Maguire, is not in the manager’s plans but is reportedly looking to save his United career with an impressive pre-season.
This leaves Erik ten Hag with just three recognized centre-backs in Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, and Victor Lindelof.
United will now have no choice but to turn their attention to other targets.
Inácio is one of the names on the Reds’ wishlist, and one of the reasons he is preferred is his left-footedness.
Erik ten Hag prefers to play with a left-footed left centre-back alongside a right-footed right centre-back and currently has only Martinez to play the left-sided role.
The feeling is that Inácio can be brought in to deputize for the fiery Argentine.
Inácio has a €45m release clause which makes him an affordable prospect for most big clubs, which may explain why United, Liverpool, Newcastle, and now Arsenal have expressed an interest in the player.
