Back in January, Tottenham were leading the charge to sign Porto winger Luis Diaz before Liverpool swooped in to complete the deal.
The Reds stole the winger from right out of Spurs’ hands and Diaz hit the ground running on Merseyside to ensure it was a real blow to the North London club.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy was furious after the Reds hijacked his move to sign the Colombian.
With Liverpool linked with a move for a midfielder in this window, it seems that their main target Jude Bellingham won’t be available until next summer.
Whereas Spurs can’t hijack that deal, they could move for one of Antonio Conte’s former players in Nicolo Barella, a player lined up to be a Bellingham alternative if Liverpool can’t beat out the likes of Manchester City or Real Madrid for the 19-year-old’s signature next summer.
Could Spurs sign Barella?
According to Italian site Il Messaggero, Spurs are hoping to bring their target as soon as this summer.
He is under contract until 2026 and is valued at around £75million; a high price tag for a player of high quality.
With Liverpool having the intention to spend over £100m on Bellingham next summer, the Italian midfielder would be a fantastic alternative for £30m cheaper.
Liverpool have eyed him as a potential signing for a while now and the midfielder would no doubt be a perfect fit in Klopp’s aggressive pressing side.
When Nicolò Barella accidentally booted the ball at a ball boy's face! 🤕
He took it like a champ though 😆👏 pic.twitter.com/0UiXJcTCbj
— Soccer AM (@SoccerAM) July 21, 2022
With strong links to Sporting’s Matheus Nunes as well, Liverpool clearly have a ‘type’ when it comes to central midfield.
Uncompromising attributes such as energy, pace, intensity, ball-carrying ability and directness are traits of Liverpool midfielders.
Both possess a lot of those qualities but Barella has the added value of scoring and assisting goals from CM.
The 25-year-old managed 13 assists in the league last season, as well as three goals too. We imagine that figure will rise with the return of Romelu Lukaku too.
