Real Madrid and PSG seen as Liverpool's main rivals in pursuit of 26-year-old midfielder – Reports

Liverpool are reportedly set to face tough competition from Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in their pursuit of Italian midfielder Nicolo Barella.

The Reds were on the hunt for a number first-choice midfielders this summer, including Barella, before landing four players' signatures in the transfer market. They were reportedly in a transfer race with Premier League rivals Newcastle United to sign the Inter Milan midfielder in July this year.

However, Liverpool opted to shelve their interest in the star after adding Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo to their ranks in summer. They dished out close to £145 million on the aforesaid players to revamp their aging midfield.

According to Fichajes, Jurgen Klopp's side are interested in snapping up Barella in the future. However, they are likely to battle it out with Real Madrid and PSG, both of whom have asked Simone Inzaghi's outfit about the Cagliari academy graduate in the recent times.

Barella, 26, has established himself as one of the best midfielders in Italy over the last four campaigns. He has helped Inter Milan lift five trophies, including a Serie A title, since initially arriving from Cagliari in 2019.

Should the Liverpool target opt to join Real Madrid soon, he would provide healthy competition to Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde and Eduardo Camavinga. The £60 million-rated player, on the other hand, would ideally serve as a Marco Verratti replacement at PSG.

Overall, the UEFA European Championship 2020 has netted 20 goals and laid out 44 assists in 190 matches across competitions for Inter.

Djibril Cisse urges Real Madrid target Kylian Mbappe to exit PSG and switch to Liverpool

Speaking to Betting Sites, former Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse claimed that Kylian Mbappe is tailor-made for playing in England. He said:

"Well, the best player in the world at the moment – Kylian Mbappe – I'd love to see him at Liverpool. I think he is made for English football. I know he loves Real Madrid and has been linked with them and I think he wants to leave PSG. But to see him at Anfield, he would cause a lot of damage in the Premier League."

Mbappe, 24, was a major topic of transfer discussion after he asserted that he has no intention of extending his current contract beyond 2024 earlier this July. He was said to be keen to join Real Madrid throughout the summer, but a potential transfer failed to materialize.

Over the past couple of weeks, the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner has found himself back in PSG head coach Luis Enrique's first-team plans. After sitting out his team's season-opening goalless draw against Lorient last month, he has since netted five goals in three matches.