Radja Nainggolan has long seemed destined to head back to Cagliari. However, Besiktas are making a strong attempt to acquire him. The deal with the Sardinians, which involves Nahitan Nandez, has lost priority given the potential sale of Romelu Lukaku. The Turkish club could take advantage of the impasse, Calciomercato.com informs.
His agent Alessandro Beltrami has instructed the intermediary Hakan Korkmaz to set up a meeting with Besiktas. They are ready to give the Belgian midfielder €2.5M per year plus bonuses, which is higher than Cagliari’s bid.
The player still desires to return to Sardinia, but Inter and Cagliari need to reach agreement on his wages. He currently makes €4M annually, while the Rossoblù offered half as much. Nainggolan asked for a €2M severance package, but the Nerazzurri refused.
The 33-year-old midfielder will wait for a few days to see if the negotiation between the two Italian sides progresses before furthering the talks with Besiktas. His priority is Cagliari, but the proposal by the Kara Kartaller is enticing. However, Inter has not been contacted directly about such possibility, Alfredo Pedullà reports. Therefore, the Turkish team would need to open talks with the Beneamata and come to terms with them too to get Nainggolan.
At this stage, Nandez remains the frontrunner to replace Achraf Hakimi despite the delay. Inter are very high on PSV’s Denzel Dumfries, but it is easier to get the Uruguayan international on an advantageous formula. The income from the Lukaku sale probably will not significantly improve their budget.