Manchester City are set to miss out on Jude Bellingham, with reports today claiming that the player is bound for Real Madrid – but Pep Guardiola could find an excellent alternative in the form of Italian maestro Nicolo Barella.
It has been suggested that the Spanish giants are closing in on a deal for Bellingham.
Apparently, personal terms are almost agreed. But there is no agreement over a fee yet between Real and Borussia Dortmund.
Bellingham heading to the Bernabeu would be a great shame. But it was always something that had a strong chance of happening.
But City need not beat themselves up for missing out on him, if he does indeed go there.
There are plenty of other number eights out there who will be brilliant for City once Pep Guardiola gets his hands on them.
And one player who would undoubtedly be a fantastic alternative to Bellingham is Inter Milan ace Barella.
The 26-year-old was actually linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium recently, amid another really good season he is having for the Italian giants.
Barella is now into his fourth campaign with Inter, with his first being as a loanee from Cagliari. And he is definitely one of their best players at this point.
Barella operates as a box-to-box player like Bellingham. Although not has physically imposing, he is every bit as technical as the Englishman.
When comparing the players on fbref.com, it can be noted that their statistics are very, very similar.
Barella has a pass completion rate of 81.1%, and Bellingham’s is 81.3%.
Barella actually has more carries into the final third than Bellingham so far this season (63 vs 47). And he has a better take-on success (59.4% vs 56.8%).
But Bellingham generally has better defensive stats. He’s made 106 tackles and interceptions (combined) to Barella’s 50.
They both have five goals this season. Barella has six assists, to Bellingham’s four.
So they aren’t massively dissimilar statistically.
Former City boss Roberto Mancini is already on record as saying Barella is ‘a complete player’. He’s worked with him with the Italian national team.
Nicolo Barella should be the player Man City go after, with Jude Bellingham set for Real Madrid
Barella is one of the most talented midfielders in Europe, and has the capacity to be playing for a better team than Inter.
He’s had a very good spell there, winning four trophies including one league title.
During his time in the Italian top-flight, Barella has been named in the Serie A Team of the Season four times. Once for Cagliari and three times for Inter. It feels like this summer could be a good time for him to move clubs, having achieved a lot in his homeland.
He’s also a proven performer at international level, winning 43 caps for Italy. He was a key player in Mancini’s team that won Euro 2020.
City could be losing Ilkay Gundogan this summer, and would therefore need a box-to-box replacement.
Bellingham would be nice, but it looks like that ship may now have sailed.
While Barella is older, he just seems like the ideal player to bring in this summer if Gundogan departs and Bellingham does indeed head to Spain.
