Liverpool scout defender during international break

The Premier League returns on Saturday afternoon when Everton travel to Anfield to face Liverpool in the Merseyside derby. 

Jurgen Klopp’s side have started the new season strongly, sitting fourth in the Premier League table after recording five wins from their eight games so far in the competition.

For Everton it has been a very different story, though, with Sean Dyche’s side currently occupying 16th spot after losing five times in the opening eight matches.

The game will therefore be very important for both sides after a fortnight-long break from domestic football.

Now, it has emerged that the Reds have been busy during the international break.

As per 90min, Liverpool have been scouting Sporting CP defender Goncalo Inacio during the current international break.

The 22-year-old only made his senior debut for Portugal in March this year, but he is in the squad for the current set of international fixtures and played the entirety of his side’s 5-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday.

Inacio has attracted interest from Liverpool

At club level, Inacio has been in fine form for Sporting over the past few seasons.

A product of the club’s youth system, Inacio has already made more than 130 appearances for his boyhood club across all competitions.

The report claims that Inacio is one of four central defenders that Liverpool’s scouts have watched recently, as Klopp looks to bolster his options in that area.

At present the German has the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip to choose from at centre-back, but it appears that he is keen to add further competition for places.

Konate, Matip and Gomez have all struggled with injuries at times over the past few seasons, while Van Dijk was sidelined for more than seven months during the 2020/21 season with a cruciate ligament rupture.

Inacio is currently contracted to Sporting until 2027, which suggest that the Portuguese side are under very little pressure to sell the defender.

The report also claims that Liverpool have scouted Inacio’s international teammate, Pedro Neto, during the current international break.