Reported Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur target Nicolo Barella is the “best midfielder in the world”, experienced Italian football agent Furio Valcareggi has told Tuttomercatoweb.
No wonder Inter Milan are desperate to tie down their captain in waiting to a new contract.
After silencing his doubters, stunning Real Madrid, single-handedly dismantling Juventus and inspiring the Nerazzurri to the top of Serie A, Barella really is the midfielder of the moment in Italy.
Fans and pundits alike have been lining up to bestow the ‘world class’ tag on the former Cagliari dynamo too, with Lothar Matthaus insisting Barella is superior to the likes of Marco Verratti and Frenkie de Jong.
Valcareggi, however, goes one step further, stating no-one in world football can hold a candle to the all-action Italy international on current form.
“The Nerazzurri are a great team in terms of quality and aggression, and Barella is the best midfielder in the world,” he says.
According to InterLive, Liverpool are willing to pay £56 million to bring Barella to Anfield as Gini Wijnaldum’s seemingly inevitable departure creeps ever closer.
An old-school, box-to-box dynamo who can pass, tackle and shoot better than most, there are few midfielders better suited to taking the place of Jurgen Klopp’s ever-dependable Dutchman.
Calciomercato, meanwhile, reports Tottenham are also big fans of the 24-year-old. The Italian is a perfect blend of Pierre Emile Hojbjerg’s tenacity, Moussa Sissoko’s drive and Tanguy Ndombele’s mind-bending artistry.
Jose Mourinho’s Spurs side failed with a January bid for Barella too.
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