Liverpool ready to battle Chelsea to sign 26-year-old midfielder to bolster squad in January - Reports

Inter Milan midfielder Nicolo Barella is reportedly on the radar of three English clubs - Chelsea, Liverpool and Newcastle United. The Serie A side are at the moment working on extending Barella's contract (which currently expires in 2026) by another two years, as per Fichajes.

Barella, 26, has impressed for Inter Milan since joining them in 2019. After a season-long loan spell with the Serie A giants, he made his transfer permanent in 2020, with Inter paying Cagliari €50m (including bonuses).

Since then, he has been a mainstay in the Inter midfield, winning the Serie A and also making the final of the UEFA Champions League last season. Overall, he has made 210 appearances for Inter, registering 21 goals and 47 assists.

Barella is good at recycling possession, and can play as a box-to-box number 8. He is also adept at orchestrating play and setting up the frontline in tight games.

Chelsea currently have expensive players like Romeo Lavia, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez who can play in that position, along with Conor Gallagher, a club academy product. However, the Blues midfield have failed to show consistency this season.

Liverpool revamped their midfield this summer, with new signing Dominic Szoboszlai impressing for the Reds. Their two other recruits - Alexis Mac Allister and Endo - are yet to come good on a consistent basis. The Reds need an established third player in their three-man midfield prong.

Newcastle United signed Sandro Tonali from AC Milan for a club record fee this summer, but he is currently banned from playing after breaching betting rules. They still have Bruno Guimaraes, who is a star player for the Magpies.

However, adding experienced stars like Barella will add depth and quality to their midfield, something Newcastle need in order to continue delivering at the top level.

Liverpool and Chelsea fought over two midfielders in the summer of 2023 - Reports

Prior to making their moves to Chelsea, Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo were both on the radar of Liverpool as well. In fact, Caicedo's former club, Brighton & Hove Albion had reportedly agreed a fee with the Reds. Howewer, the deal collapsed only after the Blues paid more for the player and Caicedo himself pushed for a move to Stamford Bridge.

Lavia had a similar chase, with both Liverpool and Chelsea vying for his signature. Once again, the Reds were outbid by the Blues as Southampton finally settled for a deal over Lavia with Chelsea.