What’s the story?
AS Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan has impressed many clubs with his performance in Serie A. Several big clubs, including Manchester United and Chelsea, have the 29-year-old on their radar. While the latter are chasing Monaco youngster Tiemoue Bakayoko, the former are strong favourites to land the Belgian international.
Nainggolan himself refused to rule out a move to the Europa League champions.
When asked about the United rumours, he said, “It may be true. It may not be true. We'll see. I am going on holiday and then we will talk about it.”
In case you didn’t know...
Born and raised in Belgium, Radja Nainggolan has spent almost all of his life playing in Italy. The midfielder, nicknamed Il Ninja, burst into the scene when he played for Cagliari before being loaned out to Roma who bought him permanently in 2014.
Nainggolan is known for his strong tackling and long-range shooting. The midfielder played most of the season as an attacking midfielder, scoring 11 goals and providing five assists in Serie A.
The 29-year-old was also named in the Serie A Team of the Year of 2014/15 and 2015/16.
The heart of the matter
Nainggolan was contacted by Chelsea manager Antonio Conte regarding a move to Stamford Bridge last summer, which he refused to accept.
Another Roma star, Mohamed Salah has been heavily linked with Liverpool. The Merseysiders’ reported bid of £28 million for the Egyptian was rejected by the Italian side.
According to Metro, Liverpool have been asked to increase the bid to £40 million, which Jurgen Klopp has refused to meet. Sporting Club’s Gelson Martins is being considered as an alternative for Salah.
If the Salah transfer doesn’t go through, Roma will be forced to sell Nainggolan to meet the Financial Fair Play requirements of £35 million.
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Author’s take
Because of FIFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations, one of the two will surely leave the Giallorossi to balance the books. Another scenario would be both the players leaving which is seemingly likely considering Nainggolan’s denial of a United move and Salah reportedly agreeing to Liverpool on personal terms.
Also, the departure of manager Luciano Spalletti to Inter Milan could unsettle the players and increase the speculation around other players as well.
Nainggolan has also demanded a pay raise of £4.2 million a year, which means Roma now have to decide whether to sell him for big money or meet his demands.
He signed a new contract with Roma last year which runs until 2020.
