Nicolò Barella answered some questions by Inter fans on Instagram, sharing some tidbits about himself and the locker room. “There are many funny guys here, but surely Federico Dimarco has proven he fits right into the group. I am glad he returned here.”
“Marcelo Brozovic and I have a great relationship, which was born naturally. We are both honest and straightforward persons. We like to hang out together and have fun. I used to wear no.18 before joining Inter, but Kwadwo Asamoah had it when I came here. Therefore, I had to choose another one and opted for 23 because it is the same as by idol LeBron James.”
Barella named a club’s legend that serves as an inspiration: “Dejan Stankovic was one of my biggest idols. I have always liked him as a player and tried to take the best from him to have a good run here at Inter as he did.”
Inter have recently started negotiating the extension of the Italian international. The club plans to make him the next captain after Samir Handanovic. Moreover, they are looking to stave off the interest from the other European powerhouses.
According to Corriere dello Sport, Barella envisions staying at Inter long-term too. However, the preliminary talks with his agent Alessandro Beltrami indicated a sizeable gap between the initial offer and the demand. The Nerazzurri proposed €4/4.5M per year, while the representative requested €6M wages. In any case, they are not in a hurry because he is already tied to the club till 2024.