Liverpool could be about to steal one of the four players Erik ten Hag 'asked' Man Utd to sign

Liverpool could be on the verge of 'stealing' one of the four players Erik ten Hag reportedly asked Manchester United to sign earlier this year.

United are unlikely to be in a position to complete significant business during the upcoming January transfer window, with the club's chief operating officer Colette Roche saying as much at a recent fans' forum.

They spent heavily in the summer, bringing in Mason Mount, Rasmus Hojlund and Andre Onana for a combined fee of over £150 million.

While Hojlund was the pricier of the trio, the Dane had not yet hit the ground running in the Premier League before notching his first domestic goal in the 3-2 Boxing Day win over Aston Villa.

But while United had been struggling for goals before the clash - their 18 Premier League goals was higher than only Sheffield United this season - they have also been unable to keep the goals out at the other end.

And with a centre-back injury crisis, which has seen Harry Maguire, Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof and Raphael Varane all unavailable at different times in recent months, Ten Hag has had to find different solutions.

According to the Daily Mirror, one of those solutions was to step into the transfer market - with Sporting Lisbon star Goncalo Inacio reportedly placed on a four-player shortlist.

But the left-footed centre-back, who reportedly has a £52 million release clause, has been linked with a move to Liverpool by Portuguese outlet Jornal de Noticias.

Inacio, who has produced consistently impressive performances for Sporting over several seasons, is used to operating on the left side of a back three in Portugal.

Liverpool themselves have injury issues defensively, with no fit left-back at present and, as a result, a lack of cover at centre-back for Virgil van Dijk. Joe Gomez, who is a natural centre-back, is effectively the backup for both full-back roles currently while Andy Robertson recovers from a shoulder injury.

Inacio could become a long-term replacement for Van Dijk, who turns 33 in July, while the pair could also play together in the same side given that the Dutchman is naturally right-footed.