Chris Smalling has revealed that he is settled in Rome and hinted that he would like to make the loan move to AS Roma permanent at the end of the season, amidst links to Tottenham.
Smalling left Manchester United to spend the season on loan at Stadio Olympico and his decision has proven to be the right one as his performances this season for the Italian giants have reportedly made the England defender a wanted man.
Corriere Dello Sport (as translated and relayed by The Express) reported on Monday that United are willing to sell the 30-year-old in the summer for a fee of around £16.5million with Tottenham having already expressed their interest in signing him along with Everton.
It is suggested that Jose Mourinho is keen on reuniting with the centre back and has already said to have made the first steps necessary to bring him to Spurs by reaching out to the player’s agent.
However, the experienced defender has now broken his silence about his future and admitted that he would like to continue at Roma if possible.
When asked if he sees his future at Roma, Smalling told BBC Sport: “Yeah. I think the plan at the start of the season was to contribute as much as I can and then, hopefully, if we’ve all had a good season and hit our ambitions, then those discussions can take place.
“I’ve been more than happy with my first half of the season, it’s now just making sure that we kick on and finish the season strongly because we have a lot to play for.
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“Coming over here and trying to hit the ground running with football was the priority. But my family settling in and me learning the language and enjoying the culture, it’s something you need to make the most of. My family and I definitely.”
Spurs Web Opinion
I personally wouldn’t be too disappointed if we end up missing out on Smalling as I feel we definitely need to be aiming higher if we have hopes of closing the gap on the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City. Smalling is unlikely to be little more than a stop-gap at his age and so I don’t believe he is the right option for us.
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