Chelsea and Manchester United Reportedly Scout Cagliari's Nicolo Barella

Chelsea and Manchester United both reportedly sent scouts to watch Cagliari midfielder Nicolo Barella in action against Sampdoria on Wednesday.

According to the Corriere dello Sport (h/t Tom Coast at Sport Witness), representatives from both clubs saw the 21-year-old play all 90 minutes in a goalless draw at the Sardegna Arena.

Jose Mourinho's side have been linked with the youngster previously. He is expected to cost around €50 million (£44.5 million), per Coast.

Barella has been attracting attention from a host of top clubs with his performances. Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Inter Milan and AC Milan are all keen, per Neil Fissler at the Express.

Juventus were also interested but "have gone a bit cold on Barella, because he is a major investment," per Fabrizio Romano at Calciomercato.com.

Football writer Matteo Bonetti offered his view on Barella:

Despite only turning 21 in February, Barella has plenty of Serie A experience. He was also included in the Italy squad for UEFA Nations League games against Portugal and Poland in September but has yet to make his debut.

Football writer David Amoyal feels that staying at Cagliari will help Barella develop:

Barella has said he would rather play in the Premier League than Serie A, per Goal:

He also spoke about interest in him from other clubs over the summer, per Corriere dello Sport (h/t Coast).

"The truth is that I feel good in my city, and we decided on it together with the president, so I stayed," he said. "I didn't consider the offers that arrived. Better: we didn't take them into consideration."

Barella is regarded as one of Italy's brightest young stars, and if he continues to shine in Serie A, he's likely to attract more interest from clubs around Europe.

He's already signalled an interest in playing in the Premier League, which is likely to encourage English clubs that he can be lured away from Cagliari.