Why Liverpool must splash £35m to sign Nico Barella

On a sunny Saturday afternoon in London, Liverpool beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 to extend their lead over the Londoners by 6 points. The Reds are second on the table behind Chelsea due to goal difference. The signings made by the club have been crucial for this sensational start to this campaign. But if Jurgen Klopp wants to leave his mark on English football, he must learn from the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and plan for the future.

It might seem like Liverpool are pretty stocked up in the midfield. James Milner is playing the best football of his career but he will turn 33 in January. A serious knee injury to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain last season had left Liverpool short of numbers in the midfield.

The arrival of Fabinho has certainly helped but we are yet to see him make a significant. A report from The Metro claims that the failure to land Nabil Fekir has frustrated Klopp, as he feels he needs more quality and depth in the centre of the park.

According to The Express, Liverpool are confident of signing Nicolo Barella, a young midfielder from Cagliari. Barella is a 21-year-old Italian midfielder who came through Cagliari’s youth ranks. He made his debut for the club in 2015 when he came on as a substitute in a Serie A match.

But he was sent on a short-term loan in January 2016, to Como, a Serie B side. Barella has emerged as one of the most promising talents of Italian football and has already represented Italy on all youth levels – till the U21s.

Diminutive, energetic and technically gifted, Barella can either play as a deep-lying midfielder or in a box-to-box role and looks set to have a huge career. Last season, he started 34 games where he scored 6 goals and assisted 1 more to help Cagliari avoid relegation.

But he has proven to be the ideal box-to-box player who has an eye for the goal but never shies away from his defensive duties. He made 46 interceptions, successfully completed 69 tackles and racked up an impressive 43 clearances

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Barella is valued at £35million but Liverpool, who sold Ragnar Klavan to Cagliari in the summer, must utilize their good relations with the Italian club to close the deal. Regardless of whether the deal goes through in January or next summer, Barella won’t be guaranteed a starting spot in Klopp’s first XI. But at the age of 21, can grow under the German manager and reach his potential.