I never thought about playing for Chelsea, says Roma ace

Radja Nainggolan insists he never considered playing for Chelsea when the Roma midfielder rejected their advances 12 months ago.  

The Belgium international was one of the players Antonio Conte wanted to bring to Stamford Bridge during his first summer as Chelsea manager. 

Nainggolan was heavily linked with a move to England with Manchester United also keen on his signature, but the combative midfielder insists he has never given any thought to playing for another club.  

“Interest from Conte and Chelsea? I made my decision. I never thought about how playing in another jersey would’ve felt," Nainggolan is quoted as saying by Football Italia.  

“Serie A? It’s more balanced now and there are teams that have strengthened. Roma are competitive and strong, just like last season, but we’ll see what the results say at the end of the campaign.” 

The 29-year-old signed a new long-term deal over the summer to put questions about his Roma future to bed and the ‘Ninja’ has made a fine start to the season under new manager Eusebio Di Francesco.  

Since the start of last season, only Kevin Strootman (14) has played more accurate through balls than Nainggolan in Serie A (13).