Liverpool have expressed an interest in Inter Milan and Italy midfielder Nicolo Barella, according to Italian journalist Enrico Camelio.
The lowdown
Barella made 36 league appearances for Inter last season, scoring three and assisting seven.
A well-rounded player, he averaged 1.6 tackles, 0.7 interceptions, 2.2 accurate long balls and 1.3 key passes per 90 minutes (via WhoScored).
The 24-year-old is currently on Euro 2020 duty and was on target on Friday night as the Azzurri beat Belgium to progress to the semifinals.
Retired footballer and commentator Ray Hudson tweeted during the game that Barella is ‘as slippery as an eel covered in Italian olive oil’.
The latest
Camelio claims Liverpool have ‘asked for information’ on Barella amid Inter’s financial struggles.
The Serie A champions are set to bank €71million from Achraf Hakimi’s move to PSG, but ‘another sale will be needed’ to solve their financial woes.
However, Inter don’t regard Barella as one of their ‘transferable’ assets and have made that clear to Liverpool – he is currently valued at £58.5m by Transfermarkt.
The verdict
Liverpool need to replace Georginio Wijnaldum this summer to ensure they’ll have the depth to compete.
And Barella would be an excellent candidate – it’s not a like-for-like replacement by any means, but the Reds don’t need to be stagnant.
At the Euros, he’s showcased his ability to play defence-splitting passes and gracefully elude challenges, boasting 1.8 key passes and 1.5 dribbles per game at the competition.
While Inter have rebuffed Liverpool’s initial approach, the need to offload another star means there could yet be hope.
In other news, Liverpool have entered the race to sign this England international.
