Liverpool linked with £108m trio who could follow Ruben Amorim

With Sporting’s Ruben Amorim continuing to be heavily linked with a move to Anfield, there are a few players that could follow him to Merseyside - according to reports in Portugal.

Amorim has outlasted the likes of Xabi Alonso, Julian Nagelsmann and Roberto De Zerbi so far and remains a strong candidate while the rest have all fallen away. If he does complete a move then he could be joined by a few players as he looks to instil his new formation and system at the club. Once upon a time, another young Portuguese manager in Jose Mourinho brought key duo Paulo Ferreira and Ricardo Carvalho from his all-conquering Porto side to help his new system at Chelsea - and Amorim could take inspiration from that this summer.

Of course, Liverpool’s squad is already hugely talented and sizeable but there are a few areas in which the club’s needs and Amorim’s needs meet and it could result in a few moves. According to Jornal de Noticias, up to four players could join Liverpool including Marcus Edwards, Ousmane Diomande, Gonçalo Inácio and Morten Hjulmand.

With Joel Matip set to depart in the summer, a new centre-back could easily be signed - and it has been in the planning since last summer. Given that Amorim favours three centre-backs in his formation, another defender makes sense and having four for the season wouldn’t be enough.

Therefore, one of Inácio or Diomande (or both) could be perfect deals to explore. Both are modern ball-playing defenders who are physically quick and tall and understand the make-up of the Portuguese’s system. Plus, both are under 23 and can be built up to be the next great defenders for the club. Arsenal and Chelsea are in the running for Diomande so he is certainly someone who is catching the eye in Europe.

In terms of Edwards, the attacker certainly falls below the required level for a typical Liverpool signing at the top end of the pitch. With just six goals and eight assists this year, he is short of all five attackers at Anfield. However, with Amorim favouring two narrow attackers behind a central striker, Edwards’ fast feet, pace and skill could be a strong asset off the bench and he would likely improve in a more dominating side with better quality around him.