Chelsea cleared to seal transfer of sensational midfielder, star’s agent spotted in London

Premiere League giant Chelsea are close to signing Radja Nainggolan from Rome this summer, sources close to the Blues told ESPN FC. According to Gianluca Di Marzio, the Blues had held talks with AS Roma director of football Walter Sabatini and Nainggolan’s agent Remy Abbas in London.

Chelsea admitted having opened negotiations over the Belgium midfielder with AS Roma, Nainggolan’s current club. Previously,incoming Chelsea manager Antonio Conte said that Nainggolan is one of the primary targets.

Conte is known as Nainggolan’s long-time admirer as he watched the player’s performance several times when the Italian coach was still Juventus manager. Conte sees Nainggolan as an extra energy for the Stamford Bridge side.

Nainggolan is one of the best midfielders in Europe after moving from Cagliari to AS Roma in 2014. He has scored 10 goals for the Italian capital-based club in 101 appearances in Serie A. Moreover, he will also play for Belgium at Euro 2016 in France this summer.

Il Tempo reported that Chelsea will likely release ­­Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Andreas Christensen to pave the way for the signing of Nainggolan. Despite feeling reluctant to sell the 27-year old player, AS Roma will let Nainggolan go if Chelsea meets the transfer deal of £35 million.
Besides Nainggolan, Chelsea is also reported to show an interest in signing John Stones from Everton. However, Chelsea will compete with Manchester City to land the 21-year old defender from Goodison Park.