Manchester United have reportedly entered the race for Radja Nainggolan and are looking to beat Chelsea to the AS Roma midfield stalwart.
According to a Sky Sports report, Manchester United have entered the race to sign AS Roma midfield stalwart Radja Nainggolan in the summer. The Red Devils are reportedly prepared to battle and are looking to beat rivals Chelsea in the pursuit of the Belgian midfielder.
Radja Nainggolan is hailed as one of the strongest ball-winning midfielders in Europe for the better part of the last two seasons. This season, the 29-year-old has chalked up a mammoth 51 appearances in all competitions – great numbers that depict his fitness levels. Add to that the return of 14 goals and 6 assists and the player should genuinely be considered one of the best midfielders around in Europe at the present moment.
However, the player has had a rather controversial career to date, which saw Real Madrid and Barcelona back off from pursuing the player after showing interest in him initially. Radja, though, could now be headed towards the Premier League, with Manchester United and Chelsea both considering a move for the 29-year-old.
Sounds like Radja Nainggolan might have a choice to make this summer ?? pic.twitter.com/78NQXw5cfW
— B/R Football (@brfootball) May 18, 2017
Manchester United would get, in Radja, a near-mirror image of Paul Scholes, who too, was famous for his tackling and had the ability to add goals to his team’s cause from the midfield. Nainggolan’s addition could be the perfect foil for Paul Pogba to play a free-flowing role, with the Belgian present to sweep anything that goes past the Frenchman.
Chelsea, on the other hand, will look to pair the midfielder up with N’Golo Kante, which would provide the Blues with a lethal combination of a tireless midfielder and a player that can contribute to the team’s attack while also acting as a foil to the 3-man defence.
Chelsea had a botched attempt in the pursuit of Radja Nainggolan last summer and are set to launch another attempt when the transfer window opens. Manchester United’s interest, though, is at an early stage and there is no talk of a deal at the present moment.
However, Jose Mourinho’s stance on the pursuit of Radja could become clearer after the UEFA Europa League final against Ajax, where a win would assure Manchester United of a spot in the UEFA Champions League next season.
If United do manage to achieve the aforementioned, the transfer battle would be fought on a much even ground than at the present moment and it looks like the Red Devils are waiting for the air to become clearer before they start to get their summer deals in place.
Radja has just signed a new deal last season and it would be interesting to see if the 29-year-old does agree to move to the illustrious Premier League and to which club – if he agrees to move to England.
