Harry Diamond
Inter Milan are prepared to match Manchester United’s asking price for Chris Smalling, following the defender’s impressive loan spell in Italian football with Roma.
Smalling was deemed surplus to requirements by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last season and opted to head abroad as he sought to reignite his career, joining Roma on a season-long loan deal and swiftly cementing himself as a key player for the capital club.
Roma have since expressed an interest in signing the 30-year-old on a permanent basis following his impressive performances this season, but the club have so far been unwilling to match an asking price for the centre-back believed to be €25m.
That failure has allowed Inter Milan to make to their move and according to Sportsmediaset (Via Sport Witness) Antonio Conte’s side are prepared to match United’s valuation as they bid to strengthen their defensive options ahead of next season.
Inter – who have targeted a number of Premier League players in recent windows – finished as runners-up to Juventus by just a single point and boasted the division’s best defence, though are interested in securing a new central defender with one of Diego Godin or Milan Skriniar expected to leave the club this summer.
Conte has identified Smalling as a high-quality and experienced option to bolster his backline, whilst the club’s hopes of securing a deal are boosted by a strong relationship with United – the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Ashley Young and Alexis Sanchez having moved from Manchester to Milan over the past year.
Solskjaer admits it will be ‘difficult’ to keep De Gea, Henderson and Romero at Man Utd
See also – 90’s Football Hall of Fame: Man United’s mister reliability, Brian “Choccy” McClair