Liverpool have reportedly made ‘serious’ enquiries about Sporting Lisbon midfielder Francisco Trincao ahead of the summer transfer window.
After a frustrating season of decline, Liverpool need to take full advantage of the time off after the 2025-26 Premier League season concludes later this month to return for the 2026-27 season fit and firing.
The club spent £460m last summer on new signings, but more investment is needed to fix some glaring holes in the club’s recruitment.
Across the board, Liverpool are in need of new faces. In attack, midfield and defence, there are issus with the profiles and styles available to Arne Slot even if the manager himself has been to blame for many of the issues at hand.
Claims from Marca suggest Liverpool are in talks to sign holding midfielder Adam Wharton, while new claims suggest attacking midfielder Trincao is also on their radar.
Liverpool ask for information on Francisco Trincao
According to an exclusive from Anfield Index, Liverpool “have made serious enquiries over a move for Sporting CP attacking midfielder Francisco Trincao.”
?Exclusive: Liverpool have made serious enquiries over a potential move for Sporting CP attacking midfielder Francisco Trincao.
Despite signing a new deal last month, he has a €60m release clause and has registered 30 G/A so far this season. pic.twitter.com/Eyq6lksKNv
— AnfieldIndex (@AnfieldIndex) April 30, 2026
The independent Liverpool news outlet suggest that despite Trincao signing a new contract with Sporting Lisbon in March, his deal still includes a €60m release clause.
The report reads: “After signing a new contract, a €60m release clause remains active in the deal.
“With Mohamed Salah confirming his plans to leave Liverpool at the end of the season, Trincao could be seen as an option to replace the Egyptian King.
“It is yet to be seen where Trincao ranks amongst Liverpool’s options as we head into the summer transfer window. RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande has been strongly linked, whilst PSG’s Bradley Barcola has also been mentioned.
“However, Liverpool’s sporting director Richard Hughes is thought to be a huge fan of the Sporting CP attacker and could be seen as an affordable alternative on the list.”
Liverpool need to sign the perfect Salah replacement
Liverpool aren’t replacing any old player this summer. They are replacing the most prolific forward in the Premier League era, who was fundamental in the club returning to the elite standards the club struggled for most of the 2000s to attain.
Steven Gerrard said last month that Michael Olise is the perfect Salah replacement, but considering a deal to sign the Bayern Munich star could be worth as much as €200m, that’s simply off the table.
Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge recently said there is no chance Olise will be sold after the club reviewed its transfer policy on elite players after selling Franck Ribery in 2009.
Let any dreams of signing Olise die…
Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge just said this:
“I’ll tell you a story from the past. In 2009, we had an incredible offer from Chelsea for Franck Ribery. That would have been a new world record transfer at the time.
"I went to our… pic.twitter.com/KYw4fo58L7
— Michael Mongie (@MikeMongie) April 27, 2026
Rummenigge said on 27 April: “He’s a wonderful player. I also appreciate how reserved and almost media-shy he is. That’s rare these days. He’s a great guy, and on the pitch, he’s outstanding, the way he plays football, almost magically.
“In 2009, we had an incredible offer from Chelsea for Franck Ribéry. At the time, it would have been a new world transfer record. I then went to our then CFO, Karl Hopfner, and Uli Hoeneß with this offer. We discussed it for two hours, trying to figure out what to do with it.
“That day, we made a fundamental decision: that in the future, we would never sell a player we would miss on the pitch. And this unwritten rule still applies today. For a player like Olise, there’s no price tag that would make us flinch.”