Inter agreed a new contract with Nicolo Barella in order to fend off interest from Atletico Madrid, a report in the Italian media revealed tonight.
FcInterNews.it have claimed the midfielder will sign a new four-year deal with the Nerazzurri after they reached an agreement in principle with his agent Alessandro Beltrami.
Atletico had a €50 million budget to spend on Barella and were thought to be keen on a move, with their sporting director Andrea Berta having already tried to sign him from Cagliari back in 2018.
It seems the La Liga giants are set to miss out for a second time though, with Inter ready to officially finalise the new contract as soon as the club’s corporate situation is clarified by owners Suning.
Barella also has interest from several clubs in the Premier League, albeit the report did not specify who.
The 24-year-old is going to tie himself down to Inter until 2025, with his annual salary increased from €2.5 million to €4.5 million.
Barella has scored three goals and provided 10 assists in all competitions this season for Antonio Conte’s side, who sit six points clear at the top of Serie A (with a game in hand).
He came on as a second-half substitute for Italy last night as the Azzurri began their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-0 win over Northern Ireland.
