Former Liverpool duo Steven Gerrard and Peter Crouch have both given their seal of approval to one reported Reds transfer target.
Inter Milan midfielder Nicolo Barella has seen himself linked with the Anfield club in recent weeks, with InterLive.it even reporting (via Sport Witness) that Jurgen Klopp has been ‘dreaming’ of landing him over the summer.
The Italy international was in action for his team in the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday night and, ahead of the match, he came in for glowing praise from two BT Sport pundits who used to represent LFC.
Gerrard said of the 26-year-old’s involvement for his country over the past year (via Liverpool Echo): “He did really well against the England midfield – your Jude Bellinghams and your Declan Rices.
“He’s at a good age as well, coming into his prime and it’s a big night for him coming up against one of his team-mates in Sandro Tonali and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top as we know the midfield area is so important.”
Crouch added of Barella’s displays in Inter’s previous European tie: “He was crucial in the Benfica games. He’s got great feet, tenacious as well and is decent in the tackle. The first game he was the difference. There’s many, many admirers, Liverpool being one at the moment.”
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The praise from the former Anfield duo has echoes of Jurgen Klopp’s words about the Italian prior to the Reds’ Champions League clash against Inter last year.
The German said of the midfielder (via Liverpool Echo): “He’s a really good player, a really good player and I like him a lot. He has all the things you want from a midfield player: he is aggressive, he is technical, he can run for ages and all these kinds of things. That’s a top-class player.”
Barella’s overall performance against AC Milan last night was tidy and unfussy – as per Sofascore, he won three duels and three tackles, took two shots and completed 84% of his passes – although he lit up the occasion with one glorious backheeled pass.
The Euro 2020 winner is quite capable of making an impact in the final third, with five goals and seven assists from 32 Serie A games this season (Transfermarkt), matching the goal tally of Liverpool’s most prolific midfielder in the current campaign (Harvey Elliott).
With Inter winning 2-0 against their city rivals and looking on course to reach the Champions League final, Reds fans – and indeed the club’s hierarchy – may soon get to see what he can produce on the single biggest stage European football has to offer.