Liverpool are continuing to monitor Nicolo Barella and they could sign him from Inter Milan for just £44m.
That's according to CalcioMercatoWeb, who claim that Inter may be willing to part ways with the Italy international this summer for a fee of no less than €50m.
The report states that this development comes after Barella's "somewhat disappointing performances" and "disagreements on the pitch with his team-mates". Inter face Benfica in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie on Tuesday but are well out of the running in Serie A, sitting in fifth and some 23 points behind champions-elect Napoli.
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CalcioMercatoWeb go on to say that Liverpool and Chelsea are "monitoring" Barella, who has six goals and eight assists in 38 games in all competitions this season.
The 26-year-old, who helped his country win Euro 2020, is under contract until 2026, and it was previously thought it would take a much bigger bid for Inter to consider selling.
Any Liverpool move may well be welcomed by Jamie Carragher, who told CBS Sports last month: "I think he’s probably one of the best in Europe playing in that tucked in, right-sided central-midfield position. He’s box to box, he gets goals from there.
“We saw how outstanding he was for his national team in winning the European Championships.
“He’s that player who can open things up, he gets in there, but that inside right position now is so important in football and can you make runs from that position? He makes runs ahead of the striker. And he’s a huge goal threat.
“Any top team needs to have goals from midfield. It’ll be really interesting if he actually stays at Inter but you think one day would he go the Premier League or one of the Spanish giants because I certainly think he has the ability to do so.”
Carragher, an Anfield legend, is not alone in his admiration for Barella.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, who will be looking for midfield reinforcements this summer, has also made his feelings clear on the player.
Speaking before his side played Inter in the Champions League last season, Klopp said: "He's a really good player, a really good player and I like him a lot. He has all the things you want from a midfield player: he is aggressive, he is technical, he can run for ages and all these kinds of things. That's a top-class player."
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