Report: Spurs made enquiry for 39-cap Italian international earlier this summer
According to the print edition of yesterday’s Corriere Dello Sport (10/09/22 – as relayed by SerieA24), Tottenham Hotspur were interested in signing Inter Milan star Nicolo Barella this summer.
Barella has gone from strength to strength since making the move from Cagliari to Inter back in 2019 and he is now widely considered to be one of the best midfielders in Serie A.
The 25-year-old is also one of the first names on the team sheet for Italy and played a vital role in the Azzurri’s triumphant European Championship campaign last summer and has 39 caps to his name (transfermarkt).
Tottenham were linked with a number of Inter players over the course of the previous window including Alessandro Bastoni (Football.London), Stefan de Vrij (Football Insider) and Denzel Dumfries (Gazzetta Dello Sport), and Corriere have now claimed that Antonio Conte also wanted to raid his former club for Barella.
The publication explores the midfielder’s slow start to the new season and while doing so, touches on the events of earlier this summer.
It is explained that Spurs asked about Barella’s availability but the Nerazzurri ‘immediately’ stopped the north Londoners’ approach and ‘did not allow’ the Premier League club to get close to the player.
Corriere added the Italian international is keen to turn around his form and continue being a key player for Inter.
Spurs Web Opinion
I have doubts over whether Spurs would have held serious interest in Barella. Spending big money on the Inter star would have required Conte to shift to a 3-5-2 system, which the Italian does not seem keen on doing, given the amount of firepower he has at his disposal in the forward line.
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