After nearly a year of speculation over whether Chris Smalling would join AS Roma permanently, the England defender got his move.
Loaned by Manchester United, the centre-back immediately impressed in Italy, which led to near instantaneous calls for the Serie A side to tie him down for the foreseeable future.
With no option to do so in the original move, negotiations had to start from scratch, which is where Ed Woodward made things awkward.
Wanting €20m for the defender, the United CEO held out until the very last minute, eventually getting €15m for the player, with €5m in bonuses.
Either way, the transfer is done, and Manchester United bid goodbye to a player they had developed over the past 10 years, giving Roma the defensive reinforcement they wanted.
But what about the fee? As you saw above, the Premier League club can get up to €20m for the player, and yet that seems unlikely.
Why? Because, according to both Gazzetta dello Sport and Corriere dello Sport, the extra €5m will only be triggered ‘if Roma win the Champions League in the next three years’.
As for the €15m, the Italian club will pay that over the next four years, which is one year longer than Smalling’s contract, which is due to expire in 2023.
