Well, there appears to have been a change of heart down AS Roma’s end regarding Chris Smalling.
The last report of an offer we saw suggested that Manchester United had agreed to a €20m package from the Serie A side, who were prepared to pay €3m for a new loan before making the move permanently for €17m to be paid over three years.
We thought that might be the last of it, but now things have changed a bit.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Roma are now prepared to forgo the loan bit and simply buy Chris Smalling up front this summer.
To do this, they are willing to go as high as €14m, which would be less money for Manchester United down the line, but would be paid immediately rather than split over the next 36 months.
It’s explained ‘news is expected by the end of the week’ regarding the England international’s future, and it is now up to the Old Trafford side to make up their mind over what they want.
There’s no indication as to whether or not the original €3m + €17m offer is also still available to Ed Woodward, but it seems like it could be a question of whether to cash in now for less or just get more money in the long run.
