The Daily Star has recently claimed that Manchester United are winning the race against Chelsea to secure the services of Nicolò Barella from Cagliari Calcio. The same report has also revealed that the 21-year-old was on the verge of sealing a move to Stamford Bridge, but the Red Devils have now stolen a march over the Pensioners and have become the favourites to sign the £50m-rated Serie A midfield prospect.
Barella can be considered as one of the best young talents in the top tier of Italy and is destined for a promising future in European football. The Cagliari starlet has enjoyed a brilliant run of form in midfield for the Italian outfit over the past couple of years.
At such a tender age, he has already managed to reserve a regular first-team spot under Rolando Maran’s tutelage this season. The Cagliari born sensation has scored one goal and grabbed one assist in 23 appearances for his club this term across all competitions.
The 21-year-old was one of the main reasons why Cagliari managed to avoid the drop last season which goes on to show that he has already started to take small strides towards fulfiling his potential.
Barella is getting better with each game and has represented his nation at every youth level from Under-15s to Under-21s. He has also managed to earn two international caps for the Italian national team so far in his young career.
The Cagliari youth product has a lot of pace in his locker which helps him in making dangerous late runs behind the opposition defence from midfield. Barella is blessed with marvellous vision and also has a wide passing range. However, the Italian wonderkid still needs to put in some work in the gym if he wants to develop a strong frame to withstand the physical test of English football.
Ed Woodward would do well to fend off the competition from the Pensioners and lure the Italian prospect to Old Trafford as Barella has the potential to become one of the best players in his position if given a nurturing environment to develop his game.
Moreover, he will also add some more competition for places in midfield within the United squad which would give the likes of Paul Pogba, Nemanja Matic, Fred, Ander Herrera and Scott McTominay some rest from time to time. Hence, it seems like a good move for the Red Devils to recruit the Cagliari talent.
