Chelsea were very keen to sign Nicolo Barella during the January transfer window.
Reports in Italy from Tutto Mercato Web claim that the Blues even had a £44 million bid accepted for the midfielder.
Unfortunately for the Blues, the player himself was not so keen and rejected the chance to move to Stamford Bridge.
Both Barella and Leandro Paredes were the two players heavily linked with moves to Stamford Bridge, but the latter went on to sign for Paris Saint-Germain.
It had been reported throughout the window that Barella was keen to stay in Italy and that he did.
A number of top Serie A clubs are also believed to be interested in the player and they could well launch moves in the summer window, with Barella clearly eager to stay in Italy.
After letting Cesc Fabregas leave for Monaco, Maurizio Sarri was keen to bring in a replacement, but may not be forced to wait until the summer to readdress the position.
