Jose Mourinho set for transfer scrap with Chelsea as £40m battle heats up

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Man Utd boss Jose Mourinho is reportedly set to battle it out with Chelsea over the £40m signing of Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan.

So far this summer, the Portuguese tactician has only addressed his defence and attack with the signings of Victor Lindelof and Romelu Lukaku respectively.

In turn, that still leaves him with a key addition to be made to the midfield, and according to The Daily Mail, that search has taken him back to the Italian capital for Nainggolan.

It’s noted that while Chelsea are said to be close to sealing a deal for Monaco midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko, Antonio Conte could still move to bolster his midfield options further with Nainggolan, as the 29-year-old has been a long-time target for the Italian tactician.

Roma have already sold Mohamed Salah, Leandro Paredes and Antonio Rudiger this summer as sporting director Monchi seemingly oversees a major rebuilding project, and they could look to cash in on another pivotal figure in their squad.

Inter are also said to be interested in Nainggolan but Roma have no desire to sell to a direct rival as they wish to avoid angering their supporters, and so given Mourinho and Conte have long been linked with the Belgian international, it seems as though the two Premier League giants will be left to have another transfer scrap this summer.

It comes after Mourinho beat Chelsea to the signing of Lukaku, and so it would be another coup if he could seal the deal for Nainggolan. The midfield ace would be perfect for the Premier League given his energy, tenacity and quality in the final third, and so it’s no surprise that he’s being eyed by Chelsea and United.

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