Real Madrid Transfers: Five Serie A midfielders to monitor in summer 2021
Nicolo Barella (Inter Milan)
If there is any name that is hard to exclude from the best young midfielders across Europe and not just Italy, it is the name of Nicolo Barella, the 24-year-old Inter Milan sensation. He has been the talk of Italy and is touted to be a key transfer target to watch out in Euros, with him entering the competition after a highly successful 2020/21 campaign with the Nerazzuri.
Ever since his move from Cagliari to Internazionale in the summer of 2019, Barella’s graph has only been going upwards. He took his game to a greater level in the recently finished 2020/21 season as he registered 4 goals and 9 assists to his name across all competitions.
If anyone watches Barella playing, the first word that would come to their mind is elegance, the same word that comes to our mind when we see the likes of Zinedine Zidane and Luka Modric playing. And Barella’s style of play looks highly similar to that of Luka Modric, given his supreme press resistance and ball carrying abilities.
Real Madrid have already witnessed his brilliance in November 2020 at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano, when he produced that outrageous backheel assist to Lautaro Martinez, which shocked Sergio Ramos who was marking the player. Given the quality of the player, it wouldn’t be surprising if Real Madrid goes for the Italian international.
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The current manager Carlo Ancelotti is said to be a great fan of Barella, whom he tried to sign back in 2019 when he was the gaffer at Napoli. Despite their financial struggles and the heavy interest from big clubs, Inter is keen to hold onto the midfielder for the next season. But it is a long summer, and anything can happen in the transfer market. And if Real Madrid does develop an interest in the player, they shouldn’t have any second thoughts about the player and try their best to sign the possible replacement for Luka Modric.