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Liverpool hint at Nicolo Barella transfer development with Luis Diaz announcement
Liverpool are reportedly in the hunt to sign Nicolo Barella from Inter Milan.
Liverpool may have just opened the door for Nicolo Barella's move to Anfield after announcing Luis Diaz has vacated his No 23 shirt to take James Milner's No 7 jersey. The Reds are actively looking to bolster their midfield options this summer with Alexis Mac Allister the first of multiple signings expected.
But there are also changes being made with the current squad on Merseyside with shirt numbers being swapped. With Milner leaving Liverpool as a free agent, that opened up the possibility of the No 7 jersey being taken on.
Diaz wore that number throughout his time at Porto and Liverpool have now announced the 26-year-old will take the No 7 jersey from next season. That means his old No 23 jersey is now available which may well be of interest to Barella.
Jurgen Klopp has refused to hide his admiration for Barella in the past and reports in Italy claim Liverpool are ready to lodge a bid for the box-to-box midfielder. And Diaz's shirt swap may play into Liverpool's hands in trying to win the race for Barella's signature.
The Italy international currently wears the No 23 jersey for Inter and he has done throughout his career at the San Siro since joining them in 2019. It's with Inter where Barella has established himself as one of the world's best midfielders, known for his passing ability and tenacious attitude in the middle of the park.
But a move for Barella won't come cheap for Liverpool, who are reportedly hoping to sign two more central midfielders this summer. It's been suggested that Inter are 'open' to offers for the 26-year-old, but will be hoping for a fee in the region of £80million.
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However, Liverpool may be able to capitalise on Inter's dreadful financial situation. The Serie A side are in desperate need of raising funds to pay of their outstanding debt.
Inter took out an emergency £215million ($275m) loan back in 2021 from Oaktree Capital to try and keep the club afloat. But interest rates have spike since then and they only have until May 2024 to pay back that debt or risk Oaktee taking control of the club.
Inter's Chinese owner Suning are now looking to sell the club and have reportedly dropped their asking price. But they could also use the transfer market to help raise funds through player sales like they did a few years ago with Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi.