Inter could be forced into selling Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain target Nicolo Barella this summer in the event that they are to miss out on qualification for next season’s Champions League.
This according to Italian news outlet Gazzetta.it, who report that the Nerazzurri could waver in their stance against selling the 26-year-old without the revenues from Europe’s top club competition next campaign.
Barella is hardly a player who Inter would want to part ways with.
The former Cagliari man and EURO 2020 winner has been an integral player in the Nerazzurri’s midfield all season, whilst his importance to the team was underlined by his performances against Benfica in the Champions League, scoring in both legs of a quarterfinal tie.
This certainly does not mean that there is any lack of interest in Barella’s signature from some of Europe’s biggest clubs, however.
The Gazzetta note that Liverpool‘s interest in the 26-year-old has only grown more intense as they look to have dropped out of the race to sign Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham to reinforce their midfield ahead of next season.
Barella is set to be a top target for the Reds in the summer transfer window.
Meanwhile, the newspaper reports, PSG are interested in signing Barella, particularly given that he would be “sponsored” by Marco Veratti who has extensive experience playing with the Inter midfielder for the Italian national team.
In any event, the Nerazzurri would consider Barella to be “hands off” in most cases, but things could change should they miss out on qualification for next season’s Champions League.
The revenues from Europe’s top club competition are nothing short of vital for the Nerazzurri’s financial plan.
Accordingly, even with the team’s unexpected run to the semifinal of this season’s competition, without participation in the group stage next time around there would be a very real chance of the Nerazzurri finding themselves essentially forced into sacrificing Barella.
