Liverpool set to battle it out with Tottenham Hotspur to land Italy's Euro 2020 star - Reports
Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur have shown interest in signing Inter Milan midfielder Nicolo Barella, according to Spanish outlet MARCA.
Nicolo Barella has had an outstanding summer. The 24-year-old guided Inter Milan to their first Scudetto title in over a decade before playing a vital role in Italy's Euro 2020 win over home favorites England.
Due to his recent good form it is no surprise that Premier League clubs Tottenham and Liverpool have shown interest in signing Barella from Inter Milan.
Despite interest from Premier League giants, Inter Milan are not keen to sell a player whom they see as a future captain. The Serie A winners did have financial issues of their own. However, selling star defender Achraf Hakimi to Paris Saint-Germain has helped the club reduce their financial problems.
According to the aforementioned source, a bid in the region of €60-70 million could be made by either Tottenham Hotspur or Liverpool which might tempt Inter Milan into selling their prized asset.
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Liverpool are currently in the market to sign a Gini Wijnaldum replacement
Liverpool lost Georginio Wijnaldum to Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer earlier in the transfer window. Ever since his departure, the Reds have been in search of a midfielder to replace Wijnaldum, who had been vital to Jurgen Klopp.
Liverpool have previously been linked to multiple players including Renato Sanches, Saul Niguez, Florian Neuhaus and Youri Tielemans, with Barella being the latest player to be linked with a move to Anfield this summer.
In the grand scheme of things, Nicolo Barella would be an ideal replacement for Wijnaldum at Liverpool. Similar to the Dutchman, Barella is also a renowned box-to-box midfielder with great strength and energy.
Barella's style of play was well suited to Antonio Conte's gameplay but it could struggle under new Inter Milan manager Simone Inzaghi. However, he could easily slot into Jurgen Klopp's gegenpressing system at Liverpool due to his high work-rate and energy.
That said, it is highly unlikely that Liverpool would fork out close to €70 million on a single player this summer.
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