The more time goes by, the more of a favourite Christopher Smalling is becoming at AS Roma.
Loaned in Italy by Manchester United as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer couldn’t guarantee the England international regular game time at Old Trafford, the 29-year-old hasn’t taken long to showcase his ability, helping Paulo Fonseca considerably shore up the defence.
There have been many reports suggesting the Serie A side were considering making the move permanent even though they don’t have an option to do so in the loan, and talks to that effect have already started.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, James Featherstone, Smalling’s agent, has been present in Rome to have chats with Roma’s director of football, Gianluca Petrachi, about the ‘possibility of buying the defender’.
The player himself has already spoken out about how happy he is in Italy and with the football they play, but Roma would need to be very convincing to get Manchester United to accept a move.
It’s said that because of his good start in the capital, the Old Trafford club ‘seem intent’ on bringing him back to England, meaning Petrachi and co. will need to pull out all the stops.
They’ll need to win United over, but they’ll also need to ensure they can get Smalling at a good price, as his value for now hovers around €15-20m
That’s a fair chunk of money for the Italians, but everything could be far easier if they do manage to qualify for the Champions League.
The hope is that Smalling helps them towards that endeavour, after which they’ll be able to be in a position to keep him beyond the current campaign.
This is likely to rumble on all season.
