Following his exploits in the Serie A, Roma is set to sign Manchester United defender Chris Smalling on a five-year contract in the January transfer.
The 30-year-old centre-back has been in superb form since leaving Old Trafford for Italy after falling down the pecking order behind the likes of Victor Lindelof, Eric Baily, Phil Jones and summer signing Harry Maguire.
Since joining the Serie A, the former Fulham defender is back to his best after playing alongside fellow centre back Gianluca Mancini and starting 15 games and scoring two goals. Smalling has also rediscovered the confidence after a difficult 2018/19 left him no choice than to leave Old Trafford.
And according to Gazzetta dello Sport, Roma and Manchester United are in advanced talks, with the Red Devils reportedly wanting £17m for Smalling. It is understood that Roma has increased their bid to £12.8m plus £2.5m in bonuses for the defender, with the Italian side already playing £2.5m for the one-year loan.
Smalling, who has made 323 appearances for United, is said to be in contention for a spot in the England national team ahead of the Euro turanment next year. And the defender will be keen to continue his progress at Roma.
The Serie A side sit in the Champions League places after 17 games, seven points behind league leaders Inter Milan.
Smalling was signed from Fulham in 2011 and, along with Phil Jones, was tipped for the very top by Sir Alex Ferguson. The Scot even considered Smalling to be the ideal long-term replacement for club legend Rio Ferdinand, who was approaching the twilight years of his career at the time. But despite winning two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, League Cup, and Europa League, he never quite developed into that calibre of player.
Meanwhile, speaking recently, United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hailed Smalling for his performances on loan at Roma this season.
He said: ”Chris has been fantastic.
“We know that sometimes if you change the environment it can go both ways.
“Chris is the type to relish these challenges and he’s cultured and he enjoys life there.
“It’s a different life, it’s a new experience for him.
“He’s a boy who, he couldn’t be here without being a regular and we decided on that and I’m so, so happy for him, because we can see the top player that he is.”
