Aberdeen midfielder Connor Barron could be the next Scot to feature in Italian football as his agent has met both Cagliari and Sassuolo.
Relegation-threatened Sassuolo and Cagliari are both tracking the Scottish under-21 international with a view to a permanent summer transfer, sources confirm to Football Italia after reports emerged in the UK.
The 21-year-old is set to leave the Scottish Premiership club after coming through the youth ranks at the Dons with Italy a possible destination.
Both Sassuolo and Cagliari have sent scouts to monitor Barron this term, with the midfielder available for a €585,000 training compensation fee, according to Scottish football transfers expert Scott Burns.
The versatile midfielder, who is out of contract at the end of this season, has played 12 times for the Scotland under-21 side including once as captain.
Barron would join international team-mate Josh Doig at Sassuolo, although any potential move could be dependent on whether the second-bottom Neroverdi avoid the drop this season.
Cagliari, who sit four points clear of the relegation zone in 14th place, will hold an advantage in the race to sign the midfielder if they manage to retain their top flight status.
Only seven Scottish players have featured in Serie A – including Denis Law (Torino), Joe Jordan (Milan and Hellas Verona), Graeme Souness (Sampdoria) and Aaron Hickey (Bologna) – with Doig and Lewis Ferguson (Bologna) currently playing at the highest level of Italian football.
Ferguson, who will miss the rest of the Rossoblu’s season after sustaining a cruciate ligament injury in last weekend’s goalless draw with Monza, also made the move from Aberdeen to Italy in the summer of 2022. The 24-year-old has been targeted by all of Italy’s top clubs after playing a pivotal role in Bologna’s rise to fourth place in the table this term.
@SKasiewicz