Earlier on Thursday, we covered a story in Corriere dello Sport that Manchester United and Roma had some sort of ‘gentleman’s agreement’ regarding the future of Chris Smalling.
Currently loaned to the Italian side for the season, thee 29-year-old has already become a fan favourite in the capital, and there have been multiple stories written about his loan becoming a permanent deal.
About a week ago, it was claimed Roma were wanting to sit down with United to open early talks about a potential deal, and that meeting has now taken place.
That’s what Il Tempo are reporting on Thursday, claiming there was a ‘mission to Manchester’ because the Serie A side ‘want to find an agreement for the definitive acquisition of the defender’.
They have ‘mandated’ Smalling’s agent to sit down with the Red Devils, which he did on Wednesday and ‘initiated the discussions that could even be closed quickly’.
It appears there’s a lot of hope at Roma’s end this could be done smoothly and without hassle, but that will entirely depend on Manchester United and their demands for a player they weren’t initially planning on selling permanently.
