After James Milner and Naby Keita left the team due to expiring contracts and Liverpool worked to replace their midfielders, they slowed down with the acquisitions of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, but with Jordan Henderson and Fabinho going to Saudi Arabia Once again, securing a midfield became the most pressing issue.
Liverpool, looking to bring in at least one defensive midfielder, is keen on Belgian midfielder Romeo Lavia, who joined Southampton from Manchester City last summer.
The club is not satisfied with the amount of money Southampton is demanding, but has presented a second offer, hoping for an early solution.
Chelsea is also interested, and the club that was relegated from the Premier League last season remains firm. If the battle becomes more intense, the transfer fee could be raised, and Liverpool, with no budget to spare, may be forced to pull out of the race.
According to Calciomercato, Italian midfielder Nicolo Barella, who has been linked with a move to Liverpool for some time, has been the focus of renewed interest, and Inter Milan are currently in a “no sale” position if they are successful in signing Udinese midfielder Lazar Samardzic.
Despite his small stature, Barella is a midfield dynamo, the type of sweatshop player who can run all over the pitch until the end of the game, but also has a high level of attacking ability and is a goal scorer when he shows up in front of goal. He has made 45 appearances for the Italian national team and over 187 appearances for Inter.
He is a mainstay at the Serie A club and is not for sale at all. It is also hard to imagine him playing at Anfield, with a set fee that comfortably exceeds £50 million. In addition, he does not have the physical strength that Liverpool is looking for and is mismatched in terms of conditions.
With all the news coming out of Italy, it is unlikely that Nicolo Barella will challenge for the Premier League this summer, and there is a chance that he will even finish his career in Milano.
Will the Italian midfielder, contrary to what one might imagine, seek a new home abroad in the future?