Liverpool will clinch to hear about Cagliari’s £45m asking price for Nicolo Barella who has appeared in 24 games for the Serie A outfit this season, netting the ball on 3 occasions.
The 20-year-old has is a regular starter under Luiz Diego Lopez and has showcased massive potential to be a future star in the European stage.
Barella is a product of the Cagliari youth setup and has worked his way up to the first team making his debut against Parma on 4 May 2015. He has also been capped at all levels of Italian national team except the senior side with all over 49 games under his belt and is a prime candidate for a call-up in the future.
Originally a central midfielder by trade, Barella’s vital ability to bomb forward with the ball makes him versatile enough to play anywhere in the three behind the striker as well. He may not be the quickest or the strongest, but he has the tenacity to dominate the heart of the park at will.
And it can very well be said that young Nicolo Barella is a complete midfielder, who is a jack of almost all the trades, but a master of none.
However, it would be foolish to tag him as just a utility player in all positions. Barella is still young and is undergoing the development stage before he can really separate himself from the crowd. The Premier League would have been a nice challenge under the guidance of a manager who does not hesitate to give young players a run of games to prove their worth.
Jurgen Klopp would have liked to fly the 20-year-old out to Anfield over the summer but the sizeable transfer fee will come up as a red flag. The German is set to lose Emre Can after season with the defensive midfielder’s contract extension negotiations progressive very poorly.
Can will be free of his obligations to Liverpool in the summer and could join either Juventus or Bayern Munich for free in the summer.
As far as Liverpool are concerned, they have already found Can’s replacement in Naby Keita, who is set to arrive from RB Leipzig in June. Transfer fee of £48m and personal terms has already been agreed upon.
Barella would have been an extra face to replace either Jordan Henderson or Georginio Wijnaldum in the starting lineup. The duo has been rotated around due to bouts of inconsistencies and the 20-year-old could have found himself starting on a regular basis.
