Exclusive: Liverpool and Arsenal want £58.5million midfielder amid club unrest

A source close to Anfield Central has revealed that Liverpool and Arsenal are two of the clubs interested in signing Nicolo Barella this summer.

Both clubs are looking to reinforce their central midfield and are assessing Barella as an option with Inter Milan in turmoil despite being named Serie A champions just a few weeks ago.

Despite winning Scudetto, the Nerazzurri are in financial peril and will almost certainly sell some of their top players.

Liverpool wanted to sign Yves Bissouma but we understand they are turned off by his price tag which is close to £50million.

With Transfermarkt valuing Barella at £58.5million, the Reds are likely to find their finances will again present a major stumbling block with regards to signing him.

The midfielder is under contract until 2024 so even though Internazionale need to sell, they won't be bullied into selling him for a drastically low fee but we understand there is room for negotiation.

Liverpool have already signed off on paying £36million to sign Ibrahima Konate from RBL and so they will need to pick their next transfer targets very carefully to ensure they don't spread themselves too thin.

Arsenal are in a similar situation financially and have more areas of their squad to improve on which leaves Mikel Arteta in a frustrating situation.

The Gunners are hugely keen on signing Emiliano Buendia from Norwich City after a season in which he got 15 goals and 17 assists for the Championship winners.

Former Inter captain Giuseppe Bergomi is desperate to see Barella and Romelu Lukaku stay at the club, telling Saturday's newspaper edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport: “Lukaku is the most important man to keep in this group.

“I’d like to see Barella stay. For his consistency, quality, and personality he is unique. He can play in any role in midfield and is an Italian national, he must be the symbol of the future.”