Liverpool and Inter Milan have both joined the race to sign Chelsea target Nicolo Barella, the Express reports.
Jurgen Klopp will be keen to bolster his side in the January transfer window as they hope to continue their bid for the Premier League title this season.
Chelsea target Barella is the latest player to have reportedly caught the club’s eye, with the Cagliari star’s future with the Serie A side currently in doubt.
Italian sides AC Milan, Napoli, Roma and now Inter Milan are all also eyeing up a potential move for the 21-year-old.
Chelsea are looking for a long-term replacement for outgoing midfielder Cesc Fabregas, with boss Maurizio Sarri believing that Barella could be the perfect fit.
Chelsea had been leading the race for the midfielder, but with Liverpool now interested and Inter Milan willing to do a part-exchange with Cagliari which would include striker Eder going in the opposite direction, the Blues could have a huge fight on their hands for his signature.
Any deal for Barella could face serious complications though, with the player being registered with Cagliari’s sister sider, Jiangsu Suning. This would mean that he would have to be transferred back to them before sealing a move to one of the other interested parties.
Barella has racked up 18 Serie A appearances for Cagliari this season and despite Sarri being confident that he will get his man, former Italy international Lorenzo Minotti is unsure how much game time he would get at Stamford Bridge.
This year he has reached the maturity that everyone wished for and was not obvious.
He has potential, [and] has made a leap in quality in terms of maturity.
He took responsibility and now manages to manage the game emotionally, makes himself warned less [by the referees].
If the market rumours are true, Cagliari must be careful not to deprive itself of a central and fundamental player.
Risk of a [Marco] Verratti-situation? The Premier [League] is a competitive championship.
Now the Italian teams are not ready to spend a similar amount, and those with chances [to] have [full squads].
If he goes to Chelsea he will struggle to find a starting shirt and be ready for the national team.
