Liverpool step up £86m move for ‘one of the world’s best CMs’

Liverpool are still hurtling towards the Premier League title, but recent results in the top division and outside of it have dampened Arne Slot’s side victory parade somewhat.

Losing the EFL Cup final to Newcastle bared some visible scars for the Reds, whilst a Champions League exit has also proven hard to take, before you even begin to closely examine the Anfield giants’ 3-2 loss to Fulham last time out in league action.

Of course, Mohamed Salah finally penning a new contract has undoubtedbly ramped up the happiness levels for the red part of Merseyside, but there are visible chinks beginning to appear in the once unbreakable armour.

Therefore, it isn’t a great shock seeing the soon-to-be Premier League champions be linked with a whole host of names to improve the squad, with a deal potentially back on the table for this midfield maestro.

Latest on Liverpool’s search for a midfielder

As per reports in Spain, Liverpool are gearing up to make a spectacular move for Inter Milan ace Nicolo Barella in this approaching transfer market, having seemingly ‘intensified’ their interest in the Italy international.

The report states that Slot’s men have a ‘clear objective’ in mind when hunting down gems to enhance their first-team personnel, culminating in the Premier League side singling out statement recruits in the central positions of the team.

Liverpool have shown interest in the Inter number 23 for some time, but this long-standing admiration has now intensified, with the Reds having to splash out around the £86m mark if they are to land the “top class” 28-year-old – as he was once labelled by ex-Reds great Jurgen Klopp – shortly.

Amazingly, there have even been comparisons drawn in the past between Barella and Merseyside icon Steven Gerrard, with Liverpool perhaps winning a star that possesses shades of their former icon’s game is a move is finalised.

How Barella possesses shades of Gerrard

Obviously, Barella won’t be expected to follow directly in the former Liverpool captain’s footsteps, with the now-retired midfielder one of Anfield’s most revered legends.

Gerrard would notch up a stunning 186 goals and 155 assists for his boyhood side from a bumper 710 clashes, meaning the Italian would have some catching up to do when joining to be remembered in a similarly glowing light.

Still – much like the Anfield hall-of-famer in his pomp in England – Barella has a long-range rocket up his sleeve playing in Italy, which is just one aspect of his game that makes the claims from La Gazetta Dello Sport back in 2015 that he is the ‘Sardinian Steven Gerrard’ more believable.

Moreover, the 5 foot 9 engine boasts an impressive 59 assists from 276 appearances at the San Siro, with his willingness to drive forward and expertly pick out a teammate further placing him on the same lofty pedestal as the great ‘Stevie G’..

The table above also shows how consistently excellent Barella has been over the years strutting his stuff in the Serie A, with 40 plus appearances tallied up all across his sterling six seasons for Inter, meaning he could be a great teammate for the likes of Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister to bounce off of.

A serial trophy winner at the San Siro too, Barella – who teammate Kristjan Asllani dubbed “one of the best midfielders in the world at the moment” – will further hope he can help Slot’s men pick up even more silverware on his potential arrival.

This has all the ingredients of being a top signing for Liverpool, with Barella going down as a crucial cog in Liverpool’s midfield machine like Gerrard before him.