According to FcInterNews (h/t Football.london), Nicolo Barella of Inter Milan has caught the interest of several clubs, including Arsenal. His good start to the season has been of interest to Manchester United and Liverpool as well. Inter, however, are looking to offer him a new contract and keep him at the club.
Nicolo Barella is a 23-year-old Italian midfielder who plays for Serie A club Inter Milan. A youth product of Cagliari, he started out for them in 2006 and spent his whole youth career at their academy. In 2013, he was promoted to their U-19 side.
He went on to make 41 appearances for them and was subsequently promoted to the senior team within a year. However, he was sent on loan to Como 1907 in 2016 for a short loan spell. At Cagliari, he featured in a total of 112 games, scoring 7 goals and 6 assists.
Inter Milan signed him on an initial loan deal in 2019 which was made permanent in the following season. He has enjoyed a good spell at Inter so far, with 50 appearances to date, scoring 4 goals and assisting 12 (source – Transfermarkt).
Barella was a regular of the Italy youth sides before progressing on to the senior side. He is currently a part of the senior team, with 16 appearances and 4 goals to his name.
The Gunners look like a well settled unit at this time. Their summer signings have gelled in well with the side and have made the club look a lot more potent. Gabriel Magalhaes has steadied the backline and Willian has added experience to the attack. Thomas Partey has provided the team with steel in the middle of the park.
Amidst all this, it feels like a creative midfielder is missing in the team, especially after Mesut Ozil’s exclusion from the squad. For now, the combination of Mohamed Elneny and Partey is working well, with the latter doing the job of a ball carrier as well.
The signing of Nicolo Barella would go a long way in solving that issue. He has been a regular contributor in the final third during his time in Italy and can easily play in a variety of midfield positions. Barella would complete Arsenal’s midfield and give them more attacking edge. With interest growing in the player, Arsenal would do well to hurry up and work towards a deal.
