Jurgen Klinsmann has joined Gianfranco Zola in providing considerable praise of reported Chelsea and Spurs transfer target Nicolo Barella.
The Italian midfielder has been linked with both Premier League rivals in the past following his impressive form for Inter Milan and Italy.
A move is yet to come to fruition and Gazzetta dello Sport indicate that his current employers do not intend on selling this summer.
Whether a switch occurs at some point in the near future remains to be seen but former Spurs and Chelsea icons Klinsmann and Zola are in firm agreement over Barella’s quality.
As a matter of fact, the German even compared the Italian to current Blues midfielder Kante.
He said: “He has the same function as Kante – but the Inter player is in the development phase.”
Meanwhile, Zola, who made 311 appearances for the Blues, has been defiant in his praise of Barella in the past and had his own complimentary comparison; Italy icon Marco Tardelli.
Speaking in April, he said: “Nicolo is among the most precious assets we have in Italy and he seems set to improve even more. I can even see similarities with Marco Tardelli because they play in a similar way.
“Both have great footballing intelligence, they have an eye for goal and they know how to play passes. But they’re also physically strong and they get through defensive work as well. Perhaps Nicolo has better technique.
“He can and must get better because I think it’s very important to keep broadening your horizons. With this in mind, Barella will become even more important.”
23-year-old Barella is currently part of the Italian squad for the Euros and notched an assist in the 3-0 victory against Switzerland.
He currently has three years left on his Inter Milan contract, having initially joined the club on loan from Cagliari in 2019.
