UPDATE: Radja Nainggolan has officially signed for Cagliari on a season-long loan.
ORIGINAL STORY: Inter Milan outcast Radja Nainggolan is set to make a stunning return to Cagliari as his wife continues to battle cancer.
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The Belgian midfielder, 31, will be axed from the San Siro this summer after Inter boss Antonio Conte told him that he doesn't fit in his plans at the club.
But Nainggolan, who moved to Inter from Roma in 2018, is closing in on a return to Cagliari.
The Inter star's wife, Claudia Lai, is originally from Sardinia's capital city of Cagliari.
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And she announced in an emotional Instagram post last month that she had a month of 'fear and nightmares' over the start of her chemotherapy.
"It's been one month that I've been waking up in the morning, hoping it's just a nightmare," she wrote.
"I've been waking up in the morning for the past month and I've realised that I live inside a nightmare.
"I hoped this day would come as late as possible, but it wasn't to be. The days have flown by, as has my happiness...
"From today I'll begin a new chapter of my life... Chemotherapy. And who would've ever said that Claudia, for once in her life, would have the fear of starting a new day... fear is an understatement.
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"What can I say, after bucket loads of tears, it's time to go and fight this ugly beast.
"I thank with all my heart my family and friends who have helped me enjoy this month of relaxation in the best way, giving me all the strength and positivity needed to face everything... but above all they've been able to handle all my mood swings (with a high level of endurance).
"Good luck to everyone else who is living through the same nightmare. Never lose your smile."
The couple tied the knot in 2011 and have two children together: daughters Aysha, seven, and Mailey, three.
Nainggolan, who played for Cagliari from 2010 to 2014, admitted that he was excited to return to his former employers.
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"I am happy, there is great enthusiasm," the Inter midfielder told reporters.
"I always wanted to return but I did not think the return would come this year, but I am happy that is has happened.
"It was not hard to choose Cagliari although I did have other offers.
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"I spoke with some other managers but it was right to come back here and I must first thank the president [Tomasso Giulini].
"After our first call, he completely convinced me right away, he made promises and he has kept them.
"Things have went the way I would have liked them to have went and it was easy to reach an agreement."
Should Conte have axed Nainggolan from Inter?
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Featured Image Credit: Claudia Lai/PATopics: Football News, Football, Serie A, Italy, Inter Milan
