Compared to Paul Scholes by Italian agent Giovanni Branchini on Wednesday, Nicolo Barella has been a reported target for Manchester United for quite some time.
Even if he can tackle a bit better than the now former Oldham manager, the Italian midfielder has similar characteristics to the class of ’92 member, and would certainly fit nicely in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team if Ander Herrera does end up going to Paris Saint-Germain.
In fact, according to Gazzetta dello Sport journalist Nicolo Schira, Manchester United will be sending a scout to watch Cagliari vs Napoli on Sunday, with Barella the main man on the agenda.
The talent spotter will also use the opportunity to perfect his notes on Kalidou Koulibaly, whom Solskjaer would also quite like to see at Old Trafford, but that transfer seems far too expensive to pull off.
Aurelio de Laurentiis isn’t interested in selling his star, and €150m is believed to be the Senegalese’s valuation.
As for Barella, Cagliari, over the past year or so, have maintained they would not sell for under €50m.
According to Gianfranco Zola this week, the 22-year-old came ‘very’ close to joining Chelsea in January.
