Arsenal sent scouts to watch Cagliari midfielder Nicolo Barella face Inter Milan in a 2-1 win on Friday, according to reports in Italy.

La Gazzetta dello Sport (via Football-Italia) report that Arsenal had representatives in attendance at the Sardegna Arena on Friday evening to watch Barella. The midfielder played well in victory for the home side, but he did miss a late penalty to sour his performance a little.

Arsenal, Napoli, Chelsea and Cagliari’s opponents Inter Milan have all expressed an interest in Barella in the past, but they’d have to pay around €50m to land the 22-year-old’s signature.

The Gunners have been scouting the Italy international for a while now, and Barella himself even spoke about the rumours in October, saying the outside interest made him “proud”.

In January, reports suggested Chelsea had withdrawn from the race, and Napoli were Arsenal’s “main challenger” for Barella’s signature. Both clubs were expected to make a move in summer, rather than the winter window, which appears to be how things have panned out.

With 89 Serie A appearances, seven goals, three assists and four caps for his country, Barella has made an impressive start to his career. We’ll see where he ends up next.