Chelsea have remained interested in some targets since Antonio Conte took over as head coach at the club in the summer of 2016, but some of their targets still talk about failed moves to Stamford Bridge.
The Blues were evidently interested in AS Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan as they sought to find a partner for Cesc Fabregas. After several failed bids for the then 28-year old, the Blues moved in for N’Golo Kante who has become one of the best midfielders in the world in the last few seasons.
Despite acquiring Kante form Leicester City, Chelsea still went in for Nainggolan last summer according to the Times, a move that also failed to materialize before they got Tiemoue Bakayoko from AS Monaco.
The Belgium international has been reportedly on the heart of Conte who thinks he can achieve a lot with him at the heart of this midfield but the 30-year old now reveals why he rejected moves to join last season’s champions. He says the weather in England was a big factor while switching clubs to ‘start over’ was another big deterrent.
“Chelsea? Yes, that was something. It wasn’t done, but they were interested in me. Last season, when they won the Premier League, it was the beginning of that season. But at the end of the day, the choice wasn’t that difficult for me.
I like English football, I love to watch the English games too, but I’m almost 30 now. Starting over again? It’s difficult even to think about that. And I hate the rain. We were in Liverpool two days and it didn’t stop raining. It was cold too. You see the difference to here?”
Radja Nainggolan, Goal
