Fifth Liverpool midfield signing awaits in 2024 as Klopp told Chelsea, Newcastle target could be on the move

Adrien Rabiot and Nicolo Barella
Liverpool could bolster their midfield ranks even further in summer 2024 with the capture of Inter’s Nicolo Barella, though a report has revealed Chelsea and Newcastle United have also expressed an interest in him.
Barella was one of the names on Jurgen Klopp’s radar as Liverpool desperately searched to add to their midfield in the recent summer transfer window. That came after the free-transfer departures of James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, as well as Saudi Pro League clubs pinching Jordan Henderson and Fabinho.
Inter were not keen to sell Barella this year though, forcing Liverpool to pursue different players. They went on to sign Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Wataru Endo, while also landing Ryan Gravenberch from Bayern on deadline day.
However, Liverpool could still bring Barella to Anfield, as CaughtOffside have provided an intriguing report looking at his future.
They confirm that Liverpool made an ‘approach’ to see if the Italy star would be available for transfer in the summer. Although, they were not alone as Premier League rivals Chelsea and Newcastle also did the exact same thing. Indeed, Newcastle’s move for him was outlined on Saturday.
Those advances were knocked back by Inter as they deemed Barella to be ‘untouchable’ ahead of the 2023-24 campaign getting underway.
But things could change next summer. The report suggests Inter will sell Barella at the end of the season if a bid worth £77million arrives.
And the Premier League is named as his ‘most likely’ destination when departing Inter.
Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle could all fight for Barella
It will be interesting to see which club out of Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle pushes hardest to sign the 26-year-old next year.
Klopp may decide that he is still missing the final piece of the puzzle for his midfield revolution, and Barella may be captured to solve that issue.
Chelsea, of course, went big in the summer, spending upwards of £170m to snare Liverpool midfield targets Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia. Despite this, Chelsea cannot be written off in the chase for Barella as they so often disturb other club’s pursuits of players.
Newcastle, meanwhile, did improve their midfield by landing Barella’s Italy team-mate Sandro Tonali from Milan. Tonali will compete with the likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Joe Willock, Joelinton and Sean Longstaff for a starting spot.
Newcastle are preparing for a notable return to the Champions League. If that gruelling campaign impacts their form in the Prem, then manager Eddie Howe may decide another midfielder is needed to ensure his team can compete on all fronts. And Barella is likely to be a prime target for the Magpies in that case.
Meanwhile, Liverpool are facing a new fight to keep Klopp after a recent sacking, according to reports.