In 2019, 12 million loan plus 25 million redemption obligation, all the bonuses provided for in the agreement with Cagliari were triggered. In the meantime, Nicolò has become the Nerazzurri’s guiding light on the pitch
– MILAN
Inter had been following him for some time, ever since Cagliari sent him on loan to Como in 2016. The Viale della Liberazione club knew they had an advantage over the competition because Nicolò had been a Nerazzurri fan since he was a child and grew up with in his bedroom there is a poster of Dejan Stankovic, the Serbian protagonist of the treble in 2009-10 with Mourinho on the bench. Snatching him from Cagliari, however, was not easy because in the spring of 2019 both Napoli and Roma were interested in him and, to dress him in the Nerazzurri, Marotta, Ausilio and Baccin had to give in to the requests of the president of Cagliari, Tommaso Giulini. Between the fixed and variable part, the overall valuation of the number 23 seemed high (49 million) and instead, given the exponential growth that Nico has had in recent years and the market valuations of the midfielders in recent months (Rice paid 122 million to West Ham from Arsenal, Enzo Fernandez valued at 120 million at Benfica by Chelsea), now Inter’s initial request to a potential buyer would be in triple figures.
NUMBERS
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With Inter he has already made 190 appearances and scored 20 goals; he won a scudetto (2020-21), two Italian Cups and two European Super Cups plus the 2021 European Championship with the Italy shirt. The 8 million of the variable part of his transfer was linked to the achievement of 100 appearances for at least 45′ with the Nerazzurri shirt: the figure, staggered at intermediate appearance milestones, was entirely collected by Cagliari, together with the other 4 million in bonuses linked to victories (the tricolor and other cups), to 12 million for the loan and 25 for the obligation to buy.
from b to golden ball
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Speaking of Barella, the exponential growth he has had is impressive: in January 2016 he was in Serie B, on loan to Como, while now he is one of the leaders of Inter and the national team, the only Italian included in the list of 30 candidates for the Golden Ball. He played and won a European Championship final, while he lost a Champions League final. He has not yet taken part in a World Cup because Italy has “failed” to qualify in the last two cases (his call-up would have been certain only for Qatar 2022), but on the European stage he is very well known and… considered: Newcastle before sinking for Tonali he had asked the price in Viale della Liberazione, but his name is high up in Kloop’s notebook for Liverpool and also Bayern Munich…
NERAZZURRI FUTURE
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However, Barella doesn’t think about leaving Milan: he is in love with the city and Inter; he feels like a leader in the locker room and aims to wear the captain’s armband which has ended up on Lautaro’s arm this year. At 26 years old he knows he has a lot of time ahead of him to give himself this desire which he already achieved last season (against Lecce) and which he will realize this season when Toro sits on the bench. This is why he thinks above all about the second star to sew on his chest. For an Inter fan from birth he would have an even more special value.
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