AS Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan is staying with the club, amid speculation of a move away. This is according to the player himself, who was quoted by Gazzetta dello Sport as stating his desire to stay with the Giallorossi, while also noting that all is well with sporting director Walter Sabatini.
The Belgian midfielder was quoted by the publication as saying, “Will I stay at Roma? Yes.” He also referenced his relationship with the club’s sporting director, stating, “Everything is calm with Sabatini.”
Nainggolan has been with the capital since 2014, when he joined on loan from Cagliari. The 28-year-old has widely been linked with a move to Premier League giants Chelsea, but it appears he’s staying put in Italy. The player has spent his entire professional career on the peninsula, suiting up for Piacenza as well as Cagliari and Roma.
The midfielder was particularly important to the club’s season last year, as the Romans finished third, just two points off of Napoli and 11 off of champions Juventus. In 42 appearances, Nainggolan contributed six goals and two assists across all competitions. He averaged 1.1 key passes per contest and was a physical presence on defense.
That blend of contributing to the attack and helping on defense will be crucial to Roma next season as the team looks to make ground in the Serie A standings. The Giallorossi have never quite figured out how to overcome rivals Juve, and losing Nainggolan would have made it even more difficult to unseat the Turin-based heavyweights.
It’s also good for the club’s midfield outlook that the Belgian is staying put. Roma still had Daniele De Rossi, Kevin Strootman and the versatile Alessandro Florenzi in midfield among others as options in the center of the park. However, the club will be without Miralem Pjanic, who signed for the Bianconeri on a permanent basis last month.
Other business
In addition to keeping Nainggolan on board, Roma have done a bit of other business so far in the current transfer window.
Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson and Lazio youth product Moustapha Seck have joined the club. The 23-year-old keeper joins from Internacional in his native country and could make an impact between the posts for Roma. He has nine caps for the Selecao. Seck is a left back by trade and is certainly a prospect to watch for the future.
Roma’s official website also announced that Empoli defender Mario Rui landed in Rome, potentially ahead of a move. It seems that the player could be joining the Giallorossi based on the post and the images of him posing with a club scarf.