Man Utd prepared to trigger release clause of Portuguese star

Manchester United are prepared to trigger the release clause of Sporting Lisbon centre-back Goncalo Inacio in January.

The Red Devils are long-term admirers of the Portugal international and they were first interested in signing him before Lisandro Martinez.

United were once again linked with him in the last transfer window, but the defender ended up renewing his contract with his club.

As a result, his release clause was raised from €45 million to €60 million, but this has not stopped speculation regarding his future.

Real Madrid are closely following his progress in Lisbon, but Correio da Manda claim that United are aiming to beat them in the race.

Instead of waiting until the summer, they plan to activate the clause in his contract in January, considering the defensive crisis.

The club are currently without Lisandro Martinez until January following his surgery for a recurrence of his metatarsal fracture.

Jonny Evans suffered a muscle injury against Copenhagen recently and he could also be out for action for some period of time.