A title-winning Serie A midfielder has supposedly rejected the chance to join one of three Premier League titans in favour of signing a new deal with his current club.
Inter Milan's Nicolo Barella became a Scudetto winner for the second time earlier this month, as Simone Inzaghi's men bested city rivals AC Milan to clinch the 2023-24 Serie A crown.
Barella has unsurprisingly played another fundamental role in Inter's top-flight triumph, registering two goals and six assists from 33 matches in the current campaign, starting 31 of them.
A midfield mainstay ever since joining the Nerazzurri on an initial loan deal from Cagliari in 2019, the 27-year-old has now registered 22 goals and 51 assists in 231 matches for Inter, who forked out £27.8m to sign him permanently in 2020.
As well as his two Serie A titles, two Coppa Italias and three Supercoppa Italiana crowns, Barella has a Champions League runners-up medal and was a key player for Italy en route to the Euro 2020 title.
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Barella snubs interest from Premier League trio
Hailed as one of the finest midfielders in Italy, the former Cagliari youngster has inevitably been tipped to advance his career in the Premier League, and his Inter contract only runs for another two years.
Barella has not penned a San Siro extension since late 2021, but according to La Gazzetta dello Sport - via FootballTransfers - the midfielder has no interest in moving to England and instead plans to renew with Inter.
The report adds that Barella has already given the green light to a long-term extension until the summer of 2029, which will also see his wage packet increase to €7m (£6m) per year.
Chelsea and Manchester City had supposedly already tried to prise Barella away from Inter last year, but the pair were informed that the Italian was not for sale under any circumstances.
The Nerazzurri lynchpin and his family are all believed to be staunch supporters of Inter, and there is a consensus that he could represent the Scudetto winners for the remainder of his career.
What other midfielders could Arsenal, Man Utd and Liverpool target?
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While Arsenal and Man United will be targeting midfield reinforcements as a matter of priority, Liverpool have largely completed their engine room rebuild and are instead planning to strengthen their defence this summer.
A replacement for Thiago Alcantara might be sought, though, and the imminent arrival of Feyenoord head coach Arne Slot could see the Reds run the rule over Mats Wieffer, an integral player for the soon-to-be Liverpool boss.
In terms of Arsenal targets, Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes and Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi should both be available this summer, but the latter's £100m release clause only runs until the end of June, according to Eddie Howe.
Man United's midfield search could still take them to Italy, where Juventus pairing Adrien Rabiot and Weston McKennie are supposedly of interest, but the Red Devils already tried and failed to bring the former to the Premier League in 2022.
Ben Knapton
