Even if they are having problems on the pitch, Manchester United never stop thinking about the future, wanting to ensure the quality of players they bring in remains at a high level.
That’s why they have scouts all around the globes trying to spot the next talent, or simply monitoring the progress of targets they’ve already spotted, like Nicolo Barella.
They aren’t the only ones, however, as Corriere dello Sport claim they were joined by a number of other teams, including Chelsea, to watch the midfielder in action against Sampdoria in midweek.
To see a member of staff from the Blues in the stands isn’t a surprise either, as there were plenty of rumours claiming Napoli, when Maurizio Sarri was still in charge, took an interest early on in the summer.
With the Italian now in London, it would make perfect sense for him to ask someone at Stamford Bridge to keep track of his progress over the season.
As for Manchester United, José Mourinho’s side have been linked a handful of times with the 21-year-old, with a claim from the same newspaper in January stating the Red Devils were ‘considering’ making a move for the midfielder, who had an asking price of around €50m.
Furthermore, Barella hinted he turned down the chance to move to Old Trafford in the summer, explaining to the press he preferred to stay at Cagliari where he knew he would play week in, week out in order to continue his development.
We’ll have to wait and see what comes of these scouting trips, but if both Manchester United and Chelsea get involved next summer, €50m isn’t going to keep them at bay.
