Everton are interested in signing the Manchester United defender on loan.
The broadcaster say that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sees the two-time Premier League winner as a key member of his defence alongside Victor Lindelof and new £80m signing Harry Maguire.
The 29-year-old has vast top-flight experience, making over 300 appearances for the Red Devils since signing from Fulham in 2010.
These days though he doesn’t have a reputation as a particularly reliable presence in the Old Trafford defensive line, despite Solskjaer’s apparent want to keep him.
Last season he made 24 Premier League starts in a United defence that conceded more goals than Everton.
Still, with the transfer window deadline rapidly approaching and the Toffees needing a defender to come in and hit the ground running, would Smalling be the worst option, especially on a loan?
The Liverpool Echo report that Marco Silva has given up hope of signing Kurt Zouma, so that’s not an option either.
If United are firm on their Smalling stance then the race could be on to find a suitable central defender.
Everton fans don’t seem especially keen on him signing though, with some taking to Twitter on Wednesday to share their thoughts on it all…
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