An Inter Milan supporters’ group has communicated an emphatic message regarding Nicolo Barella amid his ongoing links with Liverpool.
As highlighted by Gazzetta dello Sport, the Reds have been scouting the Italy midfielder for a while now, while Newcastle have submitted a €60m (£51.3m) offer via an intermediary.
However, the Nerazzurri consider him an essential player and it could take a bid as high as €90m (£77m) for them to entertain any notion of parting with the 26-year-old.
The same report highlighted how an Inter ultras group took to Instagram to post a story of Barella along with the caption: ‘A born Inter fan. Present and future. Untouchable.’
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It isn’t in any way surprising that the Inter fans would be desperate for their club to keep hold of Barella after the season he enjoyed.
Along with helping the Nerazzurri to reach the Champions League final, the midfielder was the fourth highest ranks player in the squad for his performances throughout the season in Serie A (WhoScored) and played more minutes in the division than any of his teammates.
He also earned the praise of Steven Gerrard on BT Sport punditry duty last month, with the former Liverpool captain hailing him as a ‘creative’ player who ‘can nick important goals’ (via Daily Mail). That observation is backed up by a return of nine goals and 10 assists during the most recent campaign (Transfermarkt).
The Inter ultras might’ve made their feelings clear, but of course the final decision will likely rest with Barella and whether he wants to move on from the club he’s understood to support.
From the Reds’ perspective, it’s a matter of whether they’d be willing to stretch their budget as high as the lofty price tag the Nerazzurri have reportedly placed on the 26-year-old, or possibly wait until later in the summer to see if the San Siro club might lower their demands.