Man Utd anger Roma after ramping up Chris Smalling’s fee by £5m to leave permanent transfer in doubt
MANCHESTER UNITED have angered Roma by bumping up Chris Smalling’s transfer fee by £5million leaving a permanent move hanging in the balance, according to reports. Smalling joined Roma on loan from United in the summer and has settled in well at the Italian club making 18 Serie A appearances. The 30-year-old defender wants to stay […]
MANCHESTER UNITED have angered Roma by bumping up Chris Smalling’s transfer fee by £5million leaving a permanent move hanging in the balance, according to reports.
Smalling joined Roma on loan from United in the summer and has settled in well at the Italian club making 18 Serie A appearances.
The 30-year-old defender wants to stay in Italy and Roma were hopeful of securing a permanent deal for around £12m but United have thrown a spanner in the works by raising their asking price.
According to the Express, United bosses now want £17m for the former Fulham player.
The increased demands from Ed Woodward and the United hierarchy have caught Roma off guard.
The club insist they will only be able to turn Smalling’s loan into a permanent deal if they qualify for next year’s Champions League.
Smalling is loving life in the Italian capital and has made no secret of his desire to end his time at Old Trafford after nine years at the club.
The England ace has reportedly agreed to stick to his current deal – worth roughly £58,000 a week – rather than seek better terms in order to help push through a move.
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However, United are holding firm and are determined to get what they feel Smalling is worth which could scupper a permanent move if Roma do not stump up the cash.
Smalling has 31 caps for the Three Lions and United want to reclaim as much as they can for the star as they look to offset some of the £80m they paid for Harry Maguire.
The arrival of ex-Leicester defender Maguire meant Smalling was deemed surplus to requirements and was allowed to leave Old Trafford in August.
United were reportedly not willing to accept anything less than £15million but now they seem to have set their sights even higher after Smalling’s Italian resurgence.
The centre-back’s impressive showings have brought him plenty of praise and even drawn comparisons to legendary Italian defender Paolo Maldini.
Arguably Smalling has been Roma’s best player along with another ex-Premier League star Edin Dzeko – the former Manchester City forward has bagged 15 goals in all competitions this season.
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Back in November, Smalling reflected upon his new Italian life.
He said: “I am feeling very settled; my family is over here and the dogs are over here, so everyone is settled. When my family are happy and I am happy it shows on the pitch.
“I’m definitely picking up a lot of football phrases and a lot of basic phrases that are helping me interact with the team on and off the pitch.”