Liverpool transfer news: Nico Barella move could now get very real

Nico Barella to Liverpool could well become a very real proposition. The Italian midfielder has been a long-term target.

Nico Barella to Liverpool could be back on the menu. Italian outlet L'Interista reports that while contract talks are planned between Inter and the midfielder, nothing has been agreed on yet.

That opens the door for English clubs. The report compares the situation to Sandro Tonali at AC Milan last year as Newcastle United came in with a lot of money to pry away one of their biggest assets.

And perhaps Barella is next. Liverpool are named as interested, along with Chelsea and Newcastle. The people at the top of Inter know this and will attempt to persuade their star to sign a new deal.

Of course, Barella's contract doesn't actually expire until 2026 so there isn't a rush before it expires. However, that's not the big story here.

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Il Giornale reported this week that Inter are in the midst of a severe financial crisis. Their Chinese owners, Suning, are in massive debt back in their home country and completely incapable of funding the Italian giants.

As a result, there's a loan worth around £240m that is due in May 2024. That's an enormous problem as Inter reported in June 2023 that they have a negative net worth of £140m.

The sole reason they 'survived' that in the summer was down to the sales of Marcelo Brozovic and André Onana. It now appears they'll need to do something similar in 2024.

That's where Barella comes in. With a contract until 2026, the Italian may well be Inter's most valuable asset and they have absolutely no choice but to listen to offers.

Thus if Liverpool do want Barella, the chance is definitely there. Inter would want to squeeze every single penny out of them but the Reds could enter negotiations knowing they could ultimately force it through.