Inter midfielder Nicolo Barella is Premier League club Chelsea’s Plan B option to replace N’golo Kante next summer.
This according to Italian news outlet FCInterNews, who report that the 25-year-old Nerazzurri midfielder is behind Brighton and Hove Albion among the Blues’ targets with Kante set to depart when his contract expires.
Kante’s current contract with Chelsea runs out at the end of June 2023.
With no indication that the Frenchman will agree a new deal, the London club are expecting him to leave on a free transfer.
Accordingly, Chelsea are searching for a like-for-like replacement for the former Leicester City midfielder.
The Blues could look to replace one World Cup winner with another, in the form of Brighton midfielder Mac Allister.
The 23-year-old Argentine has attracted significant transfer interest based on his performances in Qatar, and Chelsea coach Graham Potter would be keen to reunite with him.
According to FCInterNews, Mac Allister is Chelsea’s first-choice target to replace Kante.
However, Barella is also on their radar, particularly given that Mac Allister may not prove easy to sign.
Should Chelsea miss out on Mac Allister, they would move on to trying to sign Barella.
As FCInterNews note, however, there is hardly a guarantee that the Blues would be able to convince either Inter or Barella, particularly given that the 25-year-old former Cagliari midfielder has not expressed any inclination to leave.