The summer transfer window is fast approaching, and Liverpool are set to spend big as they prepare for Arne Slot’s second, Premier League title-defending season at the helm.
Of course, the top-flight trophy isn’t yet wrapped up, but the Reds need just two wins from their remaining six fixtures to put things beyond Arsenal’s reach.
Sporting director Richard Hughes has wrapped up Mohamed Salah’s new contract; captain Virgil van Dijk’s fresh deal is soon to follow. Now, focus can be turned to the upcoming transfer window, with Liverpool expecting flurries of activity through the summer months.
While signing a centre-forward, left-back and central defender are the priorities for the Reds, Slot would be wise not to neglect his midfield.
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Leicester City
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Chelsea
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Brighton & Hove Albion
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Liverpool’s midfielders have been immense through the 2024/25 campaign, but they aren’t infallible. There’s been a lack of bite and physicality at times of late that suggests a new addition to the engine room could go down a treat.
Why Slot shouldn't neglect Liverpool's midfield
When Liverpool fell from grace under Jurgen Klopp in 2022/23, the German manager knew he needed to repackage his side’s long-serving midfield.
Jordan Henderson was a first-standard leader but was starting to look a weak link from a technical standpoint, while Fabinho’s legs had gone after so many years serving as a world-class anchor at the heart of one of the highest-octane squads on the globe.
Their replacements, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai, have been immense this season (and last) as Liverpool’s mainstays in the middle, but there’s no denying Liverpool have lacked a combative sheen and that extra bit of dynamism at times recently, namely being overrun by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League and Newcastle United at Wembley.
Liverpool have won more duels than their opponents in just one of their past 11 matches across all competitions, denoting fatigue and a lack of sharpness that opponents are capitalising on.
Though packing quality across more needy areas will ultimately hold sway for Liverpool, there’s no question that a high-class midfielder would elevate an already immense team.
It’s something FSG are bearing in mind.
Liverpool lining up marquee midfielder
According to Italian outlet InterLive.it, Liverpool’s interested in signing Nicolo Barella this summer is said to be ‘serious’, with Inter Milan anticipating offers for their midfield linchpin after yet another standout campaign.
Now, Barella, 28 years old, is contracted to the San Siro until 2029 and thus Inter are in a commanding position regarding his future and have listed him at €100m (about £87m).
Liverpool’s interest is confirmed to be serious, however, and given the Serie A leaders are keen on Darwin Nunez and Federico Chiesa, a deal wouldn’t be out of question.
What Nicolo Barella would bring to Liverpool
Described as “the best Serie A midfielder of the 2020s” by journalist Zach Lowy, Barella has already won two Scudettos and two Coppa Italia titles with Inter Milan, joining from Cagliari in 2019.
Having featured 277 times for I Nerazzurri, Barella has scored 25 goals and supplied 59 assists. He’s not the most prolific of midfielders, but then that’s not really his jurisdiction.
With Simone Inzaghi’s side battling it out with Napoli for the Italian title, Barella has been the architect of his team’s challenge, averaging 1.9 key passes, 4.7 successful duels and 5.2 ball recoveries per game, as per Sofascore, illustrating his wide range of quality.
Of course, the Italian has also been immense in Inter’s quest for the Champions League trophy, with outlets stating that he delivered a career-defining performance at the Allianz Arena last week, taking a 2-1 lead over Bayern Munich back to the San Siro.
Talent of this level suggests that Liverpool could be getting their mitts on one of the most gifted midfielders in many years, one who could stand out above the current Anfield crop.
He might even prove to be Liverpool’s best midfielder since Fabinho.
For the uninitiated, Fabinho was absolutely spellbinding in his role as Klopp’s number six, so cultured and commanding as he held together a hard-grafting midfield that worked around the clock to facilitate the attacking successes of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Bobby Firmino.
Once hailed as “one of the best in the world” by Klopp, Fabinho truly was a core part of the most illustrious era in Liverpool’s modern history, joining from Monaco for roughly £40m in May 2018 and going on to play 219 times for the Reds before his legs finally failed him.
When in his pomp, the Brazilian was truly one of the most dominant forces out there, and now Barella could emulate him and become Liverpool’s new centrepiece, perhaps unlocking the next level in Slot’s existing options.
Tough-tackling, tenacious and iron-willed, Fabinho performed dutifully and blended his natural qualities with a sharpness of mind and quickness of reaction that differentiated him from his positional rivals.
The Italy international has the experience and the multi-skilled ability to be a real standout for Liverpool over the next several years, with his FBref data discussed above suggesting the likes of Bruno Guimaraes and Pedri are among his most statistically similar players.
Such ball-playing specialists, maestros and conductors wrapped into one, would fit snugly into Slot’s system – just look at how Gravenberch has got on this term.
Barella, then, would fit right in. He’s a world-class player, dubbed a “genius” on the pitch by sports editor Mike Pielluci, and a trophy winner besides, and if Inter are willing to discuss deals containing the likes of Nunez and/or Chiesa, Liverpool might just sign their best midfielder since Fabinho.
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