Italian side AS Roma are sounding pretty optimistic that they’ll manage to get Chris Smalling signed from Manchester United.
Following the defender’s loan spell at the Serie A club last season, the Giallorossi have been in a long saga to keep him on a permanent move.
Speaking to the local media today, manager Paulo Fonseca not only claimed they’re all expecting the transfer to happen, but also said there could be developments very soon.
“I’m in regular contact with Chris Smalling, I spoke to him yesterday. He wants to come back to Roma and we want to have him back. I think that there could be an update over the next few days.”
The negotiations have been dragging due to Roma’s difficulty matching the price asked by Manchester United. Reports from the Italian media this week claimed that the Italian side want to pay around €12m, while the Red Devils are demanding €20m.
Smalling made 37 appearances for Roma last season, and ended up becoming a pretty important piece in their team. Recent reports from England said Manchester United would be happy to have the defender back in their squad this summer, but that’s obviously part of the negotiation game.
