‘I like him a lot’: Klopp says he’s a major fan of £59m star, after Liverpool transfer links

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Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has praised Inter Milan’s Nicolo Barella ahead of their Champions League clash.

The Reds and Barella’s Nerazzurri lock horns in the tournament on Wednesday night.

Liverpool head to Italy for their last-16 first leg before welcoming the Scudetto holders at Anfield on 8 March.

Barella has been linked with the Anfield outfit on a number of occasions, including last summer.

Just after Italy won Euro 2020, La Repubblica claimed Liverpool had readied a 70m euro (£59million) offer for the midfielder.

The speculation came to nothing in the end, and Barella subsequently penned a new Inter contract in November.

Now, Liverpool will be taking on their one-time reported target’s club, even though he won’t be playing.

Barella is serving a two-match suspension after picking up a red card in Inter’s final group game against Real Madrid.

He will miss both legs of Liverpool’s tie against the Italian champions.

Klopp, speaking at Liverpool’s pre-match press conference, expressed his admiration for Barella and suggested his absence will benefit the Reds.

“That Barella is not able to play is not bad for us,” the Liverpool media team quotes him as saying. “He’s a really good player, a really good player and I like him a lot.

“He has all the things you want from a midfield player. He is aggressive, he is technical, he can run for ages and all these kinds of things. That’s a top-class player.”

Barella is one of Inter’s most influential players thanks to his impressive technique, vision, stamina, strength and ability to win back balls.

Italy teammate Jorginho even compared his compatriot to Chelsea and France star N’Golo Kante.