Man United has reportedly already marked one possibility for when they start their search for a center-half in 2019.

If Manchester United chooses to make a bid for Goncalo Inacio, a defender for Sporting Lisbon, they are expected to face off against Liverpool, according to reports.

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With two goals in his four Portugal games, the center defender has helped his team remain unbeaten this season and top the Portuguese league. During the next two transfer windows, it’s anticipated that both Liverpool and United would look to add a new center back.

According to a report in The Mirror, Inacio is a target for United, but Klopp dispatched scouts to observe the 22-year-old defender play for his nation last week against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The player is represented by the same group as Bruno Fernandes, and Miguel Pinho, the agent, is in charge of arranging the club captain’s 2020 transfer to Old Trafford. Sporting, meanwhile, is reportedly unwilling to allow him leave in January.

Inacio would not be cheap, as he has already racked up 129 senior appearances for his employers and in August signed a new contract that will keep him with the team until 2027. In the upcoming six months, it appears that United will make a number of center-back decisions.

Harry Maguire, who may be set for more playing time with Lisandro Martinez out until next year, has hinted that he may search for a new club before Euro 2024 if he stays low on the hierarchy.

As of right now, MEN Sport is aware that Victor Lindelof’s one-year contract extension will be activated by United. Having agreed to an unexpectedly brief 12-month contract on deadline day, Jonny Evans, 35, will need to be decided by the club by summer of the following year.

Additionally, it has been stated by Dutch journalist Mikos Gouka that Erik ten Hag’s assistant, Mitchell van der Gaag, is unlikely to quit United’s dugout to take a coaching position at Ajax, given their dismal season.

The Eredivisie giants have dropped into the relegation zone following a loss to FC Utrecht, the bottom club in the league. According to sources, the club is considering replacing current manager Maurice Steijn with Van de Gaag.

Gouka believes it is unlikely that the former Ajax junior team manager will leave his position at Old Trafford to return to Amsterdam when he relocated to Manchester with Ten Hag in 2022.