Paratici could sign Spurs' own De Bruyne in club-record swoop for 5 ft 8 "warrior" - opinion

Tottenham Hotspur are keen on Nicolo Barella…

That’s according to Italian outfit Il Messaggero, who claim that Spurs – and in particular manager Antonio Conte – are huge fans of the Italy international, as well as his Inter Milan teammate Milan Skriniar.

The 25-year-old midfielder played a big part under the Lilywhites boss during their time at the San Siro, where I Nerazzurri clinched their first Serie A title in over a decade back in 2021.

It remains to be seen how much Barella would cost the north Londoners, though CIES Football Observatory value him at a whopping €120m (£102m), so Tottenham may well need to shatter their club-record fee to secure his signature.

The Inter star may not be an out-and-out no.10 but he could be the solution in Spurs’ hunt for a new playmaking midfielder. FBref liken his statistical profile to Kevin De Bruyne, so Conte could land his own version of the illustrious Belgian.

When compared to his positional peers across Europe, Barella ranks inside the top 2% for expected assists (0.24 per 90) and shot-creating actions (4.07), as well as the top 4% for touches in the opposition’s box (3.17 per 90), via FBref.

Last season, he ranked as Inter’s fifth best performer in the Serie A, slightly behind new Lilywhites signing Ivan Perisic.

Barella, lauded as “warrior full of determination” by the legendary Arrigo Sacchi and “extraordinary” by his former Cagliari coach Rolando Maran, has primarily played as a no.8 but can also play deeper as a no.6 as well as further forward in the hole, making him a perfect fit for Conte.

The Spurs boss would be able to change system pretty easily with a player like this in his ranks and with the north Londoners in the Champions League this season, rotation will be