Chelsea are reportedly lining up a move for Italian international Nicolo Barella, valued at €70 million by Serie A giants Inter Milan.
According to Calciomercato, Chelsea have set their sights on Italian midfielder Nicolo Barella for a possible move in the summer transfer window. The Blues have identified some other Inter Milan players as transfer targets as well, including Milan Skriniar and Denzel Dumfries.
Chelsea have so far managed to make just two signings in a transfer window that is crucial to push their rebuild. The west Londoners have lost Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen from their defensive unit and could also see Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso depart.
In the midfield, N’Golo Kante and Jorginho have entered the final year of their respective contracts and have also been linked with possible summer exits from Chelsea. The Blues have thus begun preparing for a situation where they could see one of the two aforementioned midfielders leave.
Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong has recently been linked with Chelsea after reports claimed that owner Todd Boehly has had a meeting with Barcelona president Joan Laporta. Manchester United are also in de Jong’s pursuit and have reportedly agreed on terms with the Blaugrana. The Dutchman, however, prefers to stay in Barcelona.
In such a case, Chelsea will have to focus their attention on other options, and they have identified Inter Milan’s Nicolo Barella as a possible signing. But convincing Inter, who need to offload a few players to balance their books, to sell the Italian international could be a tough task.
With four years remaining on his contract, Barella could cost over €70 million this summer as Inter see him as an important player in the squad. The Italian international has made 134 appearances for the Serie A club across three seasons, scoring 11 times and assisting 34 goals.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have also set their sights on Dutch right-back Denzel Dumfries. The Blues are eager to add reinforcements in the defensive department to stay prepared for Azpilicueta’s possible departure and have identified the Inter Milan wing-back as a possible signing.
As far as Barella is concerned, Tottenham Hotspur have been linked this summer, whereas Real Madrid are exploring the possibility of signing him next summer. It will be interesting to see if Chelsea succeed in signing the Italian international in a €70 million deal.
