Radja Nainggolan is poised to return to Cagliari shortly as the club is nearing an agreement with Inter to have him back on loan, Gazzetta dello Sport and transfer market Gianluca di Marzio reported. The negotiation accelerated on Tuesday as the Sardinians might have lost Marko Rog for the season because of a knee injury, while the Nerazzurri held a meeting with the whole technical area to plan the January window. Cagliari will reportedly cover most of his €2M salary until June, but Inter will contribute as well, and there will be no option to buy in the deal.
The player had other suitors but has always prioritized the Rossoblù, where he notched six goals in 26 appearances last season and it looks like Inter changed their previous stance, as they preferred cashing in on him. The Belgian midfielder has played just 45 minutes in the current season as he has never been part of Antonio Conte’s plans even when they were dealing with some injuries. He recently missed time with a calf problem, but he is healthy now.
Our view
It is a no-brainer move for Cagliari as they will replace their injured linchpin with a player they are already familiar with and that will arguably increase the quality of their roster, while the Beneamata likely quickly figured out that they were not going to rake in much cash from the sale and allowed him to move to his preferred destination.