Yesterday, Chris Smalling opened his goalscoring account for Roma – his first since his loan move to the Giallorossi in the summer as the Englishman scored in the 4-0 dismantling of Udinese.
Even before the match, though – Smalling was a topic of conversation for capital club as they officially opened negotiations with Manchester United to discuss a permanent move for the defender, according to Gianluca Di Marzio.
The sides met yesterday for the first time in what is being described as a positive summit between the clubs. This meeting served to lay the groundwork for an official negotiation to begin as Roma will, reportedly, present an initial offer €10 million for Smalling. The Red Devils, though, are asking double that: €20 million for his services.
Roma don’t want to waste time and will attempt to ward-off other potential suitors by trying to find an agreement with United as soon as possible.
Sporting director Gianluca Petrachi was very clear when asked about the Englishman’s future recently: “If Smalling is willing to stay, we’ll try to talk with United. Relations between the clubs are excellent so we’ll evaluate if there’s a chance for this to happen”.
The Giallorossi will have to hurry, though, because Smalling’s performances haven’t gone unnoticed by his parent club.
