Liverpool dropped out of the race to sign Jude Bellingham this summer in favor of signing multiple midfielders
Liverpool could spend a significant portion of their summer transfer budget on Italian midfielder Nicolo Barella, despite ruling out the possibility of signing Jude Bellingham at the end of the season due to Borussia Dortmund’s exorbitant asking price.
Bellingham was said to have preferred Anfield, with manager Jurgen Klopp and club captain Jordan Henderson both praising the youngster’s exploits with BVB and England.
However, with Dortmund expected to demand more than £130 million to let him leave this summer, the Reds reportedly decided that it would be in their best interests to pursue several midfield recruits rather than one expensive acquisition.
As a result, new rumours suggest that Liverpool are planning a massive £75 million bid for Inter Milan star Barella, according to Sport Mediaset.
Such a bid is well over half of what Liverpool would expect to pay for Bellingham, who is regarded as one of the world’s most exciting young players. Barella has pedigree in his own right, but landing the 26-year-old would not make the same statement as Dortmund winning the race.
Barella burst onto the scene with Cagliari as a teenager, and he has been virtually ever-present since joining Inter in 2020. Despite being in his prime years, the Nerazzurri forward has already earned 43 caps for the Italian national team.
It’s unclear whether Barella would be willing to leave the San Siro now that Klopp’s team is a long shot to qualify for next season’s Champions League. As a result, the former Dortmund manager may be forced to leave, with reports claiming that joining the Reds ‘does not appeal’ to Barella.
Liverpool, on the other hand, will not end the summer empty-handed, as their recruitment team is said to have compiled a shortlist of midfield targets. Mason Mount is thought to be at the forefront of their plans as he approaches the end of his contract at Stamford Bridge.
Conor Gallagher, Mount’s Chelsea teammate, is also a player to watch as he continues to struggle for game time at his boyhood club. As the transfer window approaches, Brighton’s Alexis MacAllister and Fulham’s Joao Palhinha have also been linked with Anfield.
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