Chelsea appear to have been handed a huge blow to their hopes of signing Nicolo Barella this summer. The 26-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League lately as he continues to impress for Inter Milan.
Barella, who sees his contract at the San Siro expire in 2026, has featured 28 times for the Italian giants in the Serie A this season, directly contributing towards 12 goals. His impressive performances have reportedly courted the interest of Chelsea and Liverpool as they look to further bolster their midfield options.
According to Calcio Mercato, Barella is at the top of Jurgen Klopp's shortlist, along with Jude Bellingham and Moises Caicedo. The report states that the Italy international is expected to be available for far less than the aforementioned duo, with Inter reportedly asking for around £65million.
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Borussia Dortmund will likely demand at least £100m for Bellingham, while Brighton rejected a £70m offer from Arsenal for Caicedo in January. Another midfielder who looks set for a big move in the summer is Declan Rice.
Despite the arrival of Jorginho on deadline day, football.london understand that the Gunners still hold a strong interest in the West Ham captain. However, it's also understood that the Hammers star remains a key target for Chelsea as well.
Rice is under contract at the London Stadium until 2024, with David Moyes' side holding the option to extend his stay by a further year. The England international is yet to commit his long-term future to West Ham and he's been told to return to his boyhood club, Chelsea.
Speaking to Midnite, Glen Johnson said: "Arsenal are definitely leading the race to sign Rice. If you would have said nine months ago that Arsenal would sign him, I would probably be laughing.
"Arsenal have looked the real deal, they have won matches that they definitely would have lost last season and it's a fantastic club that is going in the right direction. They have definitely earned the right to put their hat in the ring amongst the many other teams chasing him.
"If he ends up at Arsenal, I would be a bit surprised but they have definitely given themselves a chance. Declan Rice will be more suited at Chelsea. If he goes to Arsenal or Real Madrid he would have a lot of players already pushing up and he wouldn't need to go up as much as he does now.
"He will be limited within his position and play with a handbrake on. Whereas at Chelsea - he would be more free to do what he wants. If he has some of the best players in the world in front of him - his only role would be to win the ball and get it moving quickly, whereas at this point in time, Chelsea need him to get involved."
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