Chelsea are “willing to pay” as much as €50m (£43m) for Sporting Lisbon centre-back Goncalo Inacio, according to Fichajes.net.

The Spanish rumour mongers claim that the Portuguese international is a player that Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino “likes” and he has asked his recruitment team to make an “effort” to sign the defender.

Inacio is a left-footed centre-half so he wouldn’t be competing with the likes of Axel Disasi, who is set to complete his £39m switch from Monaco very soon.

Even so, it would be a surprise if Chelsea are seriously considering a move for yet another defender this summer.

There will be competition for Inacio

Fichajes report that Premier League rivals Liverpool and Newcastle are interested in the 21-year-old, as well as Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.

Inacio also has a release clause in his contract, which could be as high as €60m (£51m), so it remains to be seen whether Sporting would be prepared to sell the player for below that amount.

Levi Colwill is about to sign a new deal

One key issue that places a large question mark over Chelsea’s reported interest in Inacio is the fact that the Blues are close to extending Levi Colwill’s contract.

The England Under 21 international is left-footed and there is very little chance of both him and Inacio playing in the same team, especially if manager Mauricio Pochettino chooses to play with four at the back.

With Benoit Badiashile also being a left-sided centre-back, there really isn’t any room for someone like Inacio in the squad.

It may simply be the case that Chelsea did have an interest in the Portuguese defender at some point in recent months, when Colwill’s future looked a lot less certain, but the Blues could have since decided that they don’t need to pursue Inacio’s signature.