Rumour Mongering: Liverpool Lead Race for €50M Cagliari Midfielder

Cagliari midfielder Nicolo Barella might be the hottest prospect in Italian football right now, with the 21-year-old being linked heavily with both AC Milan and Inter while forcing his way into the Italian national team this autumn.

It’s Liverpool, though, who are being touted as shock favourites to sign the young Cagliari man this week, with the player on contract through 2022 and said to be valued at €50M—or around £44M—by his current club.

Whether there’s any truth to the supposed Liverpool interest, though, is another matter, and with the rumours this week emanating from some less than reputable outlets like Football Italia there’s reason to be skeptical of them.

Regardless, it seems clear Barella is set for a stage bigger and brighter than Cagliari, where he has started all nine games this season and gone the full 90 minutes every time—and even worn the captain’s armband three times.

Barella has for some time been considered one of Italy’s brightest talents, and with his club play this autumn and a resulting key role for the national team, it looks like he’s on the cusp of coming good on that talent.

As such, it would be a shock—albeit a not unwelcome one—if Liverpool were about to sign him. A more likely option would be his agent angling for a better deal or Cagliari trying to drive up the price for the likes of AC or Inter.