Chelsea boss Antonio Conte admits he DID try to sign Radja Nainggolan from Roma in the summer
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CHELSEA boss Antonio Conte has admitted he tried to sign Radja Nainggolan over the summer.
The Blues boss was desperate to bolster his squad as he struggled to make a big impact on the transfer market.
The Italian ended up signing Danny Drinkwater as a replacement for Nemanja Matic, who moved to Manchester United for £40million.
Former Foxes ace Drinkwater set the West London club back around £35m and £40m Tiemoue Bakayoko also arrived from Monaco, but Nainggolan could well have cost more.
Conte said: "In the past, yes, we tried to buy him.
"But now Nainggolan is Roma’s player and I have great respect for him and for Roma, and also for my players.
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"He’s a really good player. For me, one of the best midfielders. But he’s an opponent."
As SunSport reported last month, Manchester United have also been interested in Nainggolan, with Jose Mourinho looking to add more Champions League experience to his squad.
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But Chelsea's interest was also firm, following their Premier League title win last term and the added pressure of Champions League football, which they simply did not have when they romped to the title last season.
Belgian ace Nainggolan, 29, decided to stay in the Italian capital though.
Nainggolan said: "I think I have demonstrated that this is what I always wanted.
"So I’m very happy, especially that the club and I can continue our adventure and move forward together."
