Everton have made an offer for Roma defender Chris Smalling but are not willing to pay a ‘large sum’ for him.
That’s according to Il Sussidiario, who say the English central defender is not an option for new Roma boss Jose Mourinho.
The website reports that after a year in which he’s endured physical problems, Smalling has fallen down the pecking order and is not being considered by Mourinho, who wants to add a new centre-back to his squad.
Roma are therefore looking to secure a sale just a year after paying €15m to sign him permanently from Manchester United after a successful loan spell.
However, they ‘do not seem willing’ to pay a ‘large sum’ to make a deal happen, although CM do not make it clear what they would like to pay.
Indeed, it’s not made clear what their offer is either, so the details are a little thin on the ground at this point in time.
This report does, however, follow claims earlier today that Everton had been in contact about a move for Smalling.
That suggests there’s something going on behind the scenes, but we’ll wait until there’s more information on offer before getting really excited.
