Maurizio Sarri has again looked to Serie A as he looks to bolster his midfield for the second half of the season.
Reports form Italy today say Chelsea are looking at Nicolo Barella with a view to a possible January move.
Yesterday, Chelsea emerged as the new favourites to sign Nabil Fekir from Lyon. With Eden Hazard continually linked with a move to Real Madrid, Chelsea have started to look at potential replacements. Barella may not be in the same bracket as Fekir but he is a player who much is expected of and is often mentioned as one of Europe’s best young prospects.
The Cagliari player could cost Chelsea as much as €45million. Last summer, Atletico Madrid made an approach for Barella but their offer of €35million failed to persuade Cagliari to let him leave.
Should Chelsea show their hand, it’s likely that there will be a counter offer from Juventus who have also shown interest in the 21-year-old. Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur have also been linked with moves for Barella in the past 18 months.
Since the start of the 2017-18 season, only two players have won more tackles than Nicolo Barella (74) in Serie A – Lucas Leiva (87) and Allan (82). Andrea Pirlo is a big fan of the player and is quoted as saying Barella is “one of the best in Italy.”
Barella has already established himself as an Italy under-21 international and last season he made 35 appearances in all competitions and scored six goals.