Radja Nainggolan has accused former Roma sporting director Monchi of ruining the club, laying the blame for their struggles at his feet.

The Spaniard, who is now back with former club Sevilla, arrived at Stadio Olimpico in 2017, amid a period where the club were frequent rivals to Juventus in the Serie A title race.

Although they finished third in his first season, an exodus of key players – including Nainggolan, and now-Liverpool duo Mohamed Salah and Alisson – saw them finish sixth in 2018-19.

The club have struggled to recover their top-four status since, even after Monchi's own exit in 2019, and Nainggolan has suggested it was the Spaniard's calls that sunk their once-promising credentials.

"He ruined the team," he told Tradizione Romanista. "He sold all the players. I can't even name him. If I'd known he was leaving soon after I went, I would have stayed.

"We had very strong players, and then we sold them. If you want to win, you have to keep strong players. If you always change, you will never have a solid base to work off."

At 34, Nainggolan shows no sign of slowing down, but the midfielder says a return to Roma will not be on the cards if he looks to depart Antwerp.

"If I went back to Roma now, I would run the risk of ruining all of the wonderful memories I have there," he added.

"Roma was the place, in terms of football, where I felt loved and respected. I'm too old to go back now. I live for football in my own way."

Inter and Radja Nainggolan have reached a mutual agreement to terminate the Belgium midfielder's contract, the club announced on Tuesday.

Nainggolan joined Inter from Roma in a swap deal worth £33 million (€38m), with Davide Santon and Nicolo Zaniolo moving to the Italian capital in 2018.

However, the 33-year-old has spent the last two campaigns on loan at Cagliari and Inter have finally come to an agreement to part ways with Nainggolan.

A short statement on the club's official website said: "FC Internazionale Milano announces that it has reached an agreement with the player Radja Nainggolan for the termination of the contract with the club."

The former Roma man managed just 33 Serie A appearances for the Nerazzurri, scoring six times before his two loans at Cagliari, where he netted one more in 48 appearances.

Nainggolan, who is expected to move to Cagliari now he is free to negotiate without Inter's involvement, was a standout performer last term for the Rossoblu.

He created 23 chances, ranking fifth among Cagliari players despite only featuring 22 times, while his 141 recoveries also placed him in the same position.