Cagliari Slap £50m Asking Price On Chelsea Target Barella

Former European champions Chelsea have been dealt a big blow in their quest to sign Cagliari midfielder Nicolo Barella after the Italian Serie A club slapped a £50m asking price on the player.

The Daily Mirror claim that Cagliari won’t sell the Italian midfielder below the said transfer fee.

It was further revealed that they are only open to a summer switch rather than a move in this winter transfer window.

Apart from London club Chelsea, Italian Serie A clubs like Napoli and Inter Milan are also in the running to sign Nicolo Barella.

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Chelsea assistant manager Gianfranco Zola is said to be pushing for a transfer for Barella and Maurizio Sarri (Chelsea manager) is in full support.

Nicolo Barella has become a key player for his Italian Serie A club since he broke into the first team two seasons ago.

The Blues have identified him as one of the candidates to replace Cesc Fabregas who has left the club for French Ligue 1 giants AS Monaco.

Fabregas swapped England for France earlier in this January transfer window.

Another Chelsea midfield target Leandro Paredes has agreed to join French champions Paris Saint Germain (PSG) to further limit the options at the Blues’ disposal.