Once the season ends, Chris Smalling is going to have to sit down and reflect on what his future holds.
The Manchester United defender is having a great season on loan at Roma, which has caused many clubs who weren’t interested in the past to prick their ears up and take notice.
Two of those, as reported by both the Italian and the English press are Tottenham and Everton, two clubs who are going to need a new centre-back in the summer.
For Spurs, a lot depends on what Jan Vertonghen decides to do, but for the Toffees, it’s no secret that three first-team centre-backs aren’t enough for Carlo Ancelotti.
Then there’s Roma in all this, where Smalling feels very much at home, but who would be unable to spend the €20m United want for their player without Champions League football.
They’re still in the race, but they aren’t in the best position, which gives Tottenham and Everton an advantage, as money isn’t exactly an issue to either of them as Premier League clubs.
However, Gazzetta dello Sport make it clear Smalling remains a Manchester United player, and before agreeing to join another club, he will ‘think about it very, very strongly’.
Roma know they might have to look elsewhere, because they’re aware ‘Ancelotti and Mourinho aren’t easy managers to say no to’, so it’s just a waiting game and hoping they can overtake Atalanta for that last Champions League spot to have that extra incentive for both United and the centre-back.
