Juventus u-turn sees Liverpool given boost in pursuit of Nicolo Barella

Liverpool have been given a boost in their pursuit of Nicolo Barella.

On Thursday, Juventus’ had their 15-point penalty over transfer dealings reversed.

Italy’s highest sporting court said the case should be re-examined after the Italian giants were accused of fixing balance sheets by artificial gains from transfers.

Rather than Juve being cleared, the case will now return to the Italian Football Foundation appeals court, which handed out the initial punishment.

The lifting of the points deduction means Juve have jumped from seventh to third in the table.

In turn, with just eight games to go in the seasons AC Milan are out of the Champions League places, while Inter are now languishing in sixth, five points adrift of the top four.

And should Inter fail to qualify for Europe’s premier competition next term it could give Liverpool a boost in their pursuit of Barella.

Liverpool’s Barella boost

According to Corriere dello Sport, Barella could leave Inter at the end of the season if the Nerazzurri fail to qualify for the Champions League next season.

And the Reds could profit from the club’s latest set-back. Jurgen Klopp’s men are tipped to undergo a midfield rejuvenation in the summer, with Alexis Mac Allister, Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher among the players to have also been linked.

The Italian publication claimed Liverpool are also pursuing a deal for Barella, while Paris Saint-Germain are another party that has registered an interest in the 26-year-old.

The Ligue 1 side could allegedly even involve Leandro Paredes as part of a player-plus-cash swap deal for Barella, who is labelled as one “of the best midfielders on the continent”.

Should the report be believed, for Inter to keep Barella beyond the summer they now need to turn their Serie A form around and reclaim a place in the top four, or win this year’s Champions League.