It would appear it’s all over for Chelsea and Nainggolan.
Yesterday, news emerged the Belgian midfielder had made it clear to Roma that he would be staying at the Serie A club and that those in charge should reject offers from Chelsea.
This, as Chelsea were looking to reinvigorate their midfield with the talented box to box midfielder, could be seen as a blow for Antonio Conte ahead of taking over at Stamford Bridge, but we’re sure he’s got another couple of names up his sleeve.
That said, Corriere dello Sport on Tuesday say there might be a small chance Chelsea still get their way, albeit being very slim, claiming “nothing is impossible”.
While the original offer, €37m (£30.8m), has been rejected, Roma could be tempted if an even bigger sum landed on their desks in the near future, just because such money can hardly be refused.
Going over the €40m mark, or maybe even €45m, would be a round figure likely to cause temptation.
Roma want to keep the midfielder as he is an integral part of their squad, but, as is the case with most Serie A sides, money is also very important and not as plentiful as in England.
The problem would then come down to convincing the player now that his decision is made, which would probably be harder than convincing Roma.
Corriere feel the decision from Nainggolan is a final one, at least for this summer.
Having already lost Miralem Pjanic, seeing their other star midfielder leave would seriously scupper Roma’s plans, and Nainggolan’s love for the club runs far too deep to do that to them.
At least, for this season.
As Manchester United did with Ander Herrera, don’t be surprised if, as long as Antonio Conte is still their manager, they come back for another try for 2017-18.
