Why Man Utd have no chance of signing €70m Barella
Carlo Garganese
- 15 Jul 2021 09:45 BST
- 4 min read
Manchester United and Liverpool have no chance of signing Nicolo Barella this summer.
The Inter star has developed into one of the best midfielders in Europe since joining the Nerazzurri from Cagliari in a deal that could be eventually worth as much as €49 million.
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He particularly caught the eye this summer during Italy’s victorious Euro 2020 campaign, forming a brilliant midfield trio with Jorginho and Marco Verratti.
The 24-year-old scored a stunning goal to break the deadlock in the 2-1 quarter-final win over world number one ranked team Belgium.
And his performances have led to interest from a number of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Man Utd and Liverpool want Barella
According to La Repubblica – as well as a number of other Italian and English media outlets – both Manchester United and Liverpool are preparing €70m offers for Barella.
Both teams are in the market for a central midfielder.
Liverpool need to find a replacement for Gini Wijnaldum, who left on a Bosman transfer to sign for PSG.
Meanwhile, Man Utd have long required to strengthen their central midfield department and are also wary that Paul Pogba is entering into the final year of his contract.
Will Inter sell Barella?
However, both teams have no chance of signing Barella.
Inter no longer have any financial requirement to accept offers this summer, having addressed their economic problems by selling Achraf Hakimi to PSG for €70m last week.
Just like their star attacker Romelu Lukaku, the Nerazzurri consider Barella their star midfielder and thus also untouchable. He is seen as a future captain of the club.
Indeed, Inter’s transfer chief Beppe Marotta confirmed on Wednesday that there would be very little transfer activity between now and the end of the summer window.
It's our time again. 🏆#VivoAzzurro #EURO2020 #ITA #ITAENG pic.twitter.com/YKV7tiBXWP
— Italy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@azzurri) July 11, 2021
“We start from a squad that won the Scudetto and will 90 per cent be confirmed for this season, so that is a very important foundation to build on," Marotta said on Wednesday.
“We’ll now work to complete the squad in relation to Hakimi’s departure by being creative, as it’s difficult for any club right now to get involved in economically expensive deals.”
The only major activity that is expected at Inter before the end of August will be to sign a replacement for Hakimi, with Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin the current favourite to fill that void.
Barella supported Inter as a child
Barella himself is also very happy at Inter and wishes to stay at the club he has supported since childhood for the long-term.
His contract does not expire until 2024 but a new deal is expected to be agreed during the coming season.
The midfielder has made 87 appearances for Inter, scoring seven goals and winning the 2020-21 Scudetto. He has six goals in 29 games for Italy.
Read more about: Serie A, Premier League, Inter, Italy, Liverpool, Man United, Man Utd, Achraf Hakimi, Hector Bellerin, Jorginho, Lautaro Martinez, Marco Verratti, Nicolò Barella, Paul Pogba, Romelu Lukaku
