Chelsea and Liverpool have both been warned it will cost them in excess of 70m euros to land midfield target Nicolo Barella amid his impressive form for Inter Milan in recent seasons.
The Italian midfielder has emerged as one of the stars of Serie A, and has caught the eye of top clubs around Europe with his performances in an Inter shirt, having racked up an impressive 165 caps for the San Siro side, along with 42 caps for his country, and he was part of the side that defeated England on penalties at Euro 2020.
It is no secret that Liverpool are on the hunt for midfield reinforcements. Their most recent outing against Crystal Palace, which ended scoreless, saw them field a trio of James Milner (37), Jordan Henderson (32) and Naby Keita, who is out of contract at the end of the season and not expected to stay.
And, while their main objective is undoubtedly Jude Bellingham, they may not be able to stump up the massive 150m euros price tag for the Borussia Dortmund star, and face competition from both Real Madrid and Manchester City.
Enter, Nico Barella. As per Italian media, ‘Nicolò Barella is at the top of Jurgen Klopp’s list to reinforce Liverpool’s midfield’, while Chelsea are also thought to be keen to further strengthen in midfield despite the arrival of Enzo Fernandez in January for a British record fee.
Both sides have been warned, however, that it will take a fee of between 70m and 75m euros to land the Italian from Inter, though Chelsea may hold an advantage with Romelu Lukaku keen to remain in Italy and Inter unlikely to be able to afford the sort of fee to tempt the Blues into a sale.
