Everton ‘seem ready’ to make a move for Roma defender Chris Smalling, although they have not made an official offer as yet.
That’s according to Il Tempo, who say after a year of bad luck and injuries, Smalling’s story in Rome has come to an end.
The Italian side made a big effort to get him on a permanent basis from Manchester United last summer after a successful loan spell the previous year.
He couldn’t continue that form last year, though, and they are now ready to let him go, particularly as new manager Jose Mourinho is not a fan.
The Portuguese boss has asked the club to sign a new left-footed centre-back, which would push Smalling down the pecking order and closer to an exit.
According to the newspaper’s information, Roma would be happy to sell for around €10m, because they are keen to get rid of his high wages.
It’s believed doing so would be a ‘complex operation’, but Everton are interested and ‘seem ready’ to bring him back to England.
Everton’s interest is nothing new given as they were linked all last summer and reports yesterday indicated they had been in talks about a potential move once again.
Whether they are willing to pay Roma’s asking price remains to be seen, but the interest certainly seems to be there again this summer.
