Report: Chelsea enter race for Tottenham-linked Nico Barella

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Spurs and Chelsea are not the only clubs interested in the Cagliari wonderkid.

Italian outlet CalcioMercato claim Premier League heavyweights Chelsea have joined Tottenham Hotspur and a whole host of Italian sides in the race for Cagliari wonderkid Nicolo Barella – and the Blues may have a secret weapon.

The same website claimed back in November that the 21-year-old midfielder was a target for Mauricio Pochettino, with TuttoMercatoWeb later reporting that Spurs had sent scouts to watch Barella play for Italy against the USA.

Spurs are crying out for a new central midfielder, as the future of Mousa Dembele remains a huge doubt. The Belgian is on the sidelines through injury, and is set to enter the last six months of his Tottenham contract.

Now a four-time Italy international, Barella has been in superb form for Cagliari this season, starting all but one of the club’s Serie A matches. He has only missed last Saturday’s loss to Roma, after picking up a red card against Frosinone.

Despite his tender age, he already has 90 senior appearances with Cagliari under his belt – 79 of which have come in Italy’s top tier. He is showing both maturity, quality and leadership expected of a player well beyond his age.

No surprises, then, that Spurs are said to be keen – with Pochettino renowned for bringing in young players and getting the best out of them. But now, they have been joined by London rivals Chelsea.

The report claims Chelsea could win the race for the midfield maestro, who has had a £40million price tag slapped on his head – because of assistant manager Gianfranco Zola.

Zola finished his career at Cagliari in 2005 after two years with the club, making 81 appearances and scoring 27 goals. He then managed the club in 2014-15, and the report states that he remains close to the Italian side.

That connection could see Chelsea beat Spurs, as well as Italian clubs Inter Milan, Juventus, AC Milan and Napoli. With the January window approaching, Barella’s future is one that will surely be heavily discussed.