Barella could have joined Chelsea
In the January transfer window, Chelsea were linked with a plethora of midfielders and one among the many names was Nicolo Barella. The midfielder, valued at €50 million, was reportedly very close to joining Chelsea in the winter window and Blues assistant manager Gianfranco Zola confirmed that.
Zola stated that Barella was very close to joining the Blues as Maurizio Sarri is a huge fan of the player but the deal fell through in the end.
“Very. He’s good and Sarri has always liked him, but things fell through,” he was quoted as saying.
Chelsea ended up signing no real backup for Jorginho in the end as their only notable signing in the winter was Christian Pulisic, who was loaned back to Borussia Dortmund until the end of the season.
With a transfer ban for the next two windows impending, things are only going to get harder for them.