Manchester City may have to “match” the amount that Arsenal paid for Declan Rice if they want to recruit Nicolo Barella from Inter Milan, according to TMW.
The Italian website claim the midfielder has “impressed” manager Pep Guardiola and he has identified him as a potential replacement for Bernardo Silva.
While the Portuguese international is not thought to be close to leaving the Etihad at the moment, Paris Saint-Germain are still said to be keen on securing his signature.
If an offer were to be accepted for Silva before the transfer window closes, it appears as if City would then make an approach for Barella.
£100m for Barella would be excessive
There is no doubt that the Italian international possesses the quality to replace Silva, but there is very little prospect of City paying nine figures for the playmaker.
Previous reports have suggested that Inter may settle for between €80m (£69m) and €90m (£78m) and those figures would be achievable if they get a high enough fee for Silva.
At the moment, however, there are no credible offers on the table for the player, with no team willing to match his €100m (£86m) asking price.
City may have rivals for Barella
Three other Premier League teams (Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle) have been credited with an interest in the 26-year-old over the past couple of months or so.
None of the trio are, though, in a position to make a bid. Liverpool are currently negotiating the sales of Fabinho and captain Jordan Henderson, Chelsea are locked in talks to sign Brighton’s Moises Caicedo, while Newcastle have recently recruited Sandro Tonali from AC Milan.
The Citizens would probably have a clear path if they do step up their interest in Barella, but a lot depends on who leaves the club in the coming weeks.
