Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag wants the club to sign Inter Milan midfielder Nicolo Barella, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Barella profiled

Barella is primarily a central midfielder who can also be deployed in holding or attacking midfield roles. The 26-year-old is valued at a career-high €70m (£61.6m) by Transfermarkt and has made 42 senior appearances for Italy.

He has been with Inter since 2020 and has made 166 appearances for the Serie A giants, 31 of which have come during the current campaign.

The Latest: Man United interested in Barella

Football Insider shared a story in the last 48 hours regarding United and Barella. They claimed that Ten Hag is a ‘huge fan’ of the player and wants the club to pip Manchester City to his services.

The report also relayed a £70m price tag for Barella, who is under contract at the San Siro until 2026.

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The Verdict: Get it done

United have been short in midfield in recent months, with Christian Eriksen’s injury diagnosis on January's transfer deadline day leading to Marcel Sabitzer’s temporary arrival. Therefore, bringing in a new marquee midfielder like Barella could be a wise move by United chiefs in the summer in looking to build on a hugely positive first season under Ten Hag.

Barella has been Inter’s third-best performer this season according to WhoScored metrics with a 6.97 rating, registering the joint-most assists at the club and outperforming the likes of Sabitzer, Eriksen, Fred and Scott McTominay at Old Trafford.

With that in mind, the Italian - who was called 'world class' by former Azzurri national team coach Marcello Lippi - could form a solid partnership alongside Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes at United going forward, although the club will seemingly need to spend big to get a deal over the line for the Inter dynamo.