Liverpool have been told that they will need to fork out over £50m if they wish to sign Nicolo Barella this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Italian, who is ‘appreciated’ by the Merseysiders, finds himself also reportedly the subject of intrigue from Premier League outfit Newcastle United.
“The reported fee of £50 million for Barella is not going to be enough for any club to sign him,” the Guardian journalist informed GIVEMESPORT.
“Inter want way more than this and it is not going to be an easy negotiation in any case.
“For Liverpool, he is appreciated yes, but they are not sure yet that this is the kind of player they need. Let’s see in the next days or weeks.”
Inter Milan’s position is certainly more than understandable for not only a Champions League finalist and one of Europe’s most highly-coveted midfielders, but also in light of comparisons to Xavi that the 26-year-old has earned from Gerard Deulofeu (Football Italia).
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Numbers must be just as important to Liverpool as quality
With the midfield still in desperate need of rejuvenation, even despite Curtis Jones’ upturn in form and Trent Alexander-Arnold’s hybrid role, a further two signings in that department remains key.
Bearing that in mind, we can’t see how the recruitment team will justify spending potentially significantly more than £50m, even on a player as undeniably gifted as Barella is.
Add on top the increasingly pressing need to address the backline and we quite simply can’t saddle ourselves with the extra responsibility of a half-finished job down the line.