Sporting Set Final Price for Liverpool & Tottenham Target Ilori

Sporting Lisbon are ready to cash in on their highly rated defender Tiago Ilori and will listen to offers of €7m for the man who has been linked with moves to Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.

The 20-year-old became a firm target of Brendan Rodgers earlier this summer after impressing in the heart of defence during the second half of last season, while Andre Villas-Boas is also reportedly prepared to take a chance on the Portugal Under-20 international.

Sporting have attempted to tie Ilori down to a new contract that would have also included a lavish release clause, but an impasse between the club and player that has been drawn out across the summer has left the Portuguese club ready to offload the promising defender, Abola suggests.

Liverpool have already seen an opening bid of £3m rejected by Sporting earlier in the summer, but the club have yet to pursue other defensive targets, suggesting Rodgers could still has his eye on the London-born Ilori.

The club have added Kolo Toure to their ranks but are still in need of another presence in defence following the retirement of Jamie Carragher at the end of last season, while Rafa Bentiez's reported interest in bringing Martin Skrtel to Napoli would provide another Rodgers with another headache.

Tottenham's reported interest in the Portuguese defender has emerged in recent weeks amid concerns over the fitness of Belgian defender Jan Vertonghen, who could miss Tottenham's opening league game after suffering ankle ligament damage during pre-season.

There is also the issue of Younes Kaboul's long term fitness after the Frenchman sat out almost the entire 2012/13 campaign with injury.

After allowing Steven Caulker to leave the club for Cardiff City it appeared Spurs were on the verge of securing a deal for Romanian defender Vlad Chiriches until a move to White Hart Lane was cancelled by his current club's chairman. Such a development may leave Villas-Boas to ponder bringing in another defensive recruit before the transfer window closes.

Ilori made 12 appearances for Sporting after stepping up to the club's senior ranks in February earlier this year, impressing his potential suitors with solid displays in the Under-20 World Cup in Turkey earlier in the summer.

His club took on West Ham United in a pre-season friendly at the Estadio Jose Alvalade on Monday evening, but the young centre half was not involved in the action as the Hammers sealed a 3-2 victory.