Who Is Radja Nainggolan, and What Would He Bring to Chelsea?

Chelsea are looking to rebuild this summer, and according to widespread reports, Radja Nainggolan could be headed to Stamford Bridge as part of the club's attempts to get back into the Champions League.

The Roma midfielder has been linked with a £26 million move to the Blues, per Sami Mokbel of the Daily Mail, with new boss Antonio Conte looking to add a bit more bite to the midfield.

So who is Nainggolan, and what would he offer Chelsea next season if he were to turn out at Stamford Bridge? Let's take a closer look.

What's Nainggolan's position, and where is he most effective?

Italian football has a long tradition of celebrating midfield enforcers. In more recent times, fans of Serie A have been treated to the likes of Gennaro Gattuso and Edgar Davids marshaling midfields for AC Milan and Juventus, respectively, not to mention Nainggolan's Roma teammate Danielle De Rossi.

Nainggolan is in a similar mold—a feisty competitor who works hard for his teammates and doesn't shirk his responsibilities in the process.

Like Davids before him, Nainggolan has a touch of finesse about his game, too. He is much more than just a bulldozer, demonstrating good vision and also a knack for scoring goals at times. He has five in Serie A this season, picking up two assists in the process; it's not a bad record for a player who's more concerned with preventing them at the other end of the pitch.

Speaking with the Belgian edition of Rolling Stone magazine (h/t Daily Mail), he said, "I have fought for everything I've obtained. Even in kickabouts with my friends, I want to win."

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It's the sort of quote that immediately qualifies him in terms of what we can expect from Conte's Chelsea. The new boss has built his teams in the past based on the principle of endeavour and commitment.

Conte likes to sprinkle a little fairy dust with that to help create the magic, but it's players in Nainggolan's image that are the fulcrum of what the Italian's teams achieve.

Looking at events from this week, Nainggolan wouldn't have looked out of place in the London derby between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotpsur.

That was a game about passion and a genuine hatred between both sides. It was played in the sort of spirit that we relish in every derby match.

Drawing 2-2 with Spurs to end their title hopes saw Chelsea fans elated. What impressed them more, though, was the level of commitment and desire the players showed. That's been missing too often this term, but with the likes of Nainggolan around, we would expect more of it in west London.

Is he one for the future or a bona fide first-team regular?

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Nowadays, much of Chelsea's transfer activity revolves around their manipulation of the loan market. A lot of the business Chelsea conduct every summer sees them sending more players out on loan.

The model is very much "buy young, sell later" if the players don't progress enough. Sometimes they do progress enough, and Chelsea find the money on offer too tempting.

Nainggolan wouldn't fit into that. He's a player very much for the present and at 28 is in his prime. The Belgian is supremely experienced, and the expectation is that we will see him competing with Nemanja Matic and John Obi Mikel for a starting place.

Given the troubles Chelsea have endured this year, there's every chance that Nainggolan's presence would spell the end of Mikel's or Matic's Chelsea career. With youngsters coming through from the academy, it could even spell the end for both if Nainggolan arrives.

We haven't heard any rumours to support that theory yet, although looking at the landscape at Stamford Bridge, it's difficult to see how Conte will be able to manage a squad that is overloaded in certain areas.

He will want to target where there has been a weak underbelly, which is why those central-midfield areas are being discussed now. Mikel has impressed at times, but Matic has been far from the player we've seen in previous seasons.

When at his best, Matic offers Chelsea more defensively. That said, Mikel has been a big part of Chelsea's improvement under Guus Hiddink.

While we can debate the finer details of Chelsea's midfield, there's no doubting that Nainggolan's signing would be an upgrade on what Chelsea already have in that position, based on this season.

How will he fit in under the new manager?

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We've already touched upon Nainggolan's qualities in midfield. Ultimately, what will determine his success in west London is how Conte deploys him.

Given how dated it's looked this season, we can expect the 4-2-3-1 to leave Chelsea this summer. There will be a funeral procession along the King's Road to wave it off.

That doesn't impact Nainggolan, though. Whether it's a 4-3-3, a 3-5-2 or even a more traditional 4-4-2 look, the Belgian will have a place in midfield.

In all of those systems, successful teams thrive with a ball-winner in the middle. Nainggolan will improve the way Chelsea thwart attacks, which should allow others like Cesc Fabregas to operate in the way they are most effective. For Fabregas, that means getting his head and picking out passes for those further forward.

Fabregas really is the star of this Chelsea team. He hasn't been able to operate as freely this term given what's happened around him. If Conte can find a suitable partner in midfield, there's no reason why he shouldn't be scaling the same heights as he did in 2014/15.

An in-form Matic can be that man, as can Nainggolan. His duty would be to do the dirty work that allows Fabregas to be so lethal when in possession.

That's what Fabregas was signed for all along. It worked last year, but for one reason or another, Chelsea lost their way, which damaged the balance in the middle.

Fabregas is a major commodity to have. He brings plenty to a team's attacking play, but given how fragile he can be defensively, he needs someone alongside him to shoulder the burden. It's there we will expect to see Nainggolan operate, regardless of how Conte sets up.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes