Liverpool now have strong interest in signing ‘world-class’ player after Newcastle put off

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Liverpool are very interested in signing Inter Milan midfielder Nicolo Barella, but face some obstacles to do so.

Barella has emerged as one of the concrete names on Liverpool’s summer list of midfield targets. And according to today’s ‘Reading the Game’ newsletter from The Independent, that is very much the case.

They claim that the Reds have ‘strong interest’ in Barella, as well as Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram.

However, bringing the 26-year-old to Anfield reportedly won’t be easy. In addition to having what’s described as a ‘high price,’ Barella reportedly may not want to leave Italy. In fact, it’s claimed that his preference is to stay at San Siro.

These two factors are said to have put off Newcastle United, who were also considering Barella. The Magpies have since moved onto AC Milan midfielder Sandro Tonali instead.

Liverpool keeping Barella in mind

It feels almost a little strange that Liverpool are still being heavily linked with a move for Barella this window. When you look at the other players reported as top targets, the Italian is a completely different profile.

With the likes of Thuram, Manu Kone and Ryan Gravenberch, Liverpool appear to be targeting younger, cheaper players with high potential. At 26, Barella is at least four years older than all of them and has more top-level experience than all combined.

He’s been called ‘world-class’ by none other than Steven Gerrard and has the price-tag to match that description.

And yet, despite the price and the player’s preferences, strong – and reliable – links with a move to Anfield continue. As the Reds hold off on moves for Thuram, Kone and Gravenberch, we think we can just about pick through Liverpool’s thinking here.

All three of those players are currently away at the U21 Euros. As a result, the Reds know that should they be brought in, they’d all miss the start of pre-season. They know that however quickly they make a move, it won’t make a difference to that.

Consequently, we think Liverpool may have put them all on the back burner while they try and do Barella. If they can get the Italy international signed, we have a suspicion they will leave their interest in the U21 trio.

If they can’t – and it doesn’t seem likely that they will – we can see two of Thuram, Kone and Gravenberch coming in.

Maybe it’s a crazy theory, but all bets are off right now! We’d love Barella by the way, but it still doesn’t feel realistic.