There is no chance that Nicolo Barella will leave Inter Milan for Newcastle United this summer for just £50 million, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The 26-year-old is one of Inter's best players and was named in the Serie A Team of the Year for the 2021/22 campaign.
What is the latest news regarding Nicolo Barella?
A report from the Telegraph on Wednesday claimed Newcastle were "closing in" on the potential signing of Barella with a deal believed to cost around £50 million.
The report states that the Italian is one of two players the club has "earmarked" for the summer as a top target, with the other being Leicester City midfielder James Maddison, as the Magpies aim to surround Brazilian star Bruno Guimaraes with top-level talent in an attempt to further unlock the midfielder.
However, since then, reports from Italy have conflicted with what was originally reported by the Telegraph. CalcioMercarto has suggested the 26-year-old's agent has not spoken to any clubs as of now. It also states that Inter want to keep their midfielder, whose contract runs until June 2026, and if they were to sell the midfielder, they would need an £80m-£100m offer to consider letting him leave.
Rumours in the past have also linked the Euros winner with moves to both Liverpool and Manchester United, and the news that Newcastle was closing in on a move caused confusion within the respective fanbases as they wondered why their clubs were not making an attempt to bring in the Inter midfielder.
What has Fabrizio Romano said on the news?
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Inter Milan will not sell Barella for £50m despite Newcastle's strong interest.
The journalist stated: "What I can tell you is that, for sure, there is interest from Newcastle and for sure Eddie Howe is a big fan of Nicolo Barella, they would love to sign Barella. But they also know that at the moment for Inter £50m is absolutely not enough to sell Barella. They extended his contract, it was a few months ago.
"And so the idea of Inter is to keep Barella, no chance to sell Barella for £50m. They want way more than this to be tempted. So let's see if Newcastle will try to improve their proposal or do something serious in the next days. For sure, they like the player, for sure they want the player but £50m, at the moment, is not enough."
Is Barella the right player for Newcastle?
The Italian could be an incredible statement signing by the Magpies as they get set to embark on their first Champions League campaign in over 20 years, with the midfielder being regarded as a "sensational talent".
Barella has a fantastic statistical profile, drawing comparisons with some of the best attacking midfielders across the globe such as Luka Modric, Martin Odegaard, and Bernardo Silva, with the Italian's quality in the final third being a real standout attribute.
Those qualities mentioned, therefore, make the news that Newcastle are intending to use the midfielder as a six rather than as an eight perplexing, as that would limit the player's chance to use his statistical strengths and instead amplify his statistical weaknesses according to FBref.
Newcastle should definitely do all they can to bring Barella to Tyneside, but they have to ensure that they utilise him in the best role for his skillset.