The Italian news outlet, Gazzetta dello Sport noticed Arsenal scouts watching Nicolo Barella during Italy’s 2-0 win over Finland on Saturday.
It is not secret at this point that Chelsea are big admirers of the 22-year-old but it seems like the Gunners have taken notice as well.
Unai Emery has inherited the headache of replacing Aaron Ramsey in the summer after the Welshman completed a free transfer to Juventus over contract disagreements.
The latter remains a key part of the Arsenal setup under the Spanish manager while Mesut Ozil is not. The North London outfit will be taking a massive hit in the 2019 transfer market but it has become increasingly clear that Ramsey’s successor needs to be found.
Barella has been in remarkable form this season making 29 appearances for Cagliari and racking up a goal and 2 assists. He is a creative midfielder who can appear from both deep and attacking positions just like Ramsey.
The Italian has great passing ability and is quickly learning the craft of dominating the central areas with possession. In Emery’s system at the Emirates, he could easily slide into the midfield trio either next to Lucas Torreira, Granit Xhaka or Matteo Guendouzi.
Cagliari president, Tommaso Giulini has already confirmed that several bids have already been rejected for Barella with the Serie A outfit demanding a higher fee. The player’s release clause is reported to be worth £50m.
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