Roma are reportedly scrambling to sign Manchester United’s Chris Smalling permanently.
According to Calciomercato, Roma are scrambling to try and set up a permanent deal for Manchester United defender Chris Smalling out of fear they could be hijacked.
It’s stated that sporting director Gianluca Petrachi is pushing for a deal as soon as possible, with a €20million (£17million) fee claimed.
Smalling is currently on loan at Roma, and his impressive displays so far this season have left Roma desperate to get him signed up long-term.
Petrachi seemingly fears losing Smalling to another club, with The Mirror recently claiming that Arsenal and Everton are in the mix for his signature.
Roma want to avoid that situation by getting a permanent move set up, possibly for January, before he even has a chance to return to Manchester United at the end of the season.
Smalling, 30, won’t have a future at Old Trafford, and in truth, it’s hard to really see Arsenal or Everton actually moving for him in 2020.
Both clubs do need centre backs, but Smalling wasn’t exactly pulling up trees in the Premier League before heading off to Italy.
He’s not exactly a young player developing his game, so it’s reasonable to suggest that he’s still the player he was at United, just enjoying decent form in a slower league – and Roma seems like a more likely long-term destination than either of those Premier League sides.
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