Thursday, 2nd May, 2013
Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon are reluctant to sell highly-rated defender Tiago Ilori to Liverpool, and are instead eyeing extending his contract.
The English Premier League giants are keen to snap up the 20-year-old centre-back this summer, with a figure of between €1.5M and €2.5M having been mooted as the amount Liverpool will place on the table.
But Ilori is a player whose potential is greatly valued by Sporting and, according to Portuguese daily A Bola, rather than selling the defender, the Lisbon giants are minded to offer him a new extended contract.
Under the previous regime of executive president Godinho Lopes, Ilori’s contract was extended to 2015 by the activation of a clause.
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Now under Bruno Carvalho, Sporting are attempting to sign the 20-year-old to a new deal running until 2017 or 2018.
Liverpool are unlikely to be put off bidding for the Portugal Under-20 international however and Sporting’s resolve looks set to be tested with a summer offer.
And with the Lisbon side’s financial state far from secure, a substantial bid may meet with reluctant acceptance.
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