AS Roma have accelerated talks to sign Chris Smalling permanently in the summer after hearing about Tottenham’s interest in the central defender, according to a report by Calciomercato.
Smalling’s decision to spend the season on loan at Roma has proven to be a wise choice with the defender having impressed Roma boss Paulo Fonseca who admitted earlier this week that he is keen to bring the English international to the club on a permanent basis (Sky Sports News).
Corriere Dello Sport (as translated and relayed by The Express) reported last week that Manchester 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 the former Fulham man along with Everton.
The experienced defender has admitted that he feels settled in Rome and that he is open to signing for the club permanently at the end of the season (BBC Sport).
Calciomercato claim that Roma are aware of Tottenham’s interest and are speeding things up to get the deal over the line.
Spurs Web Opinion
Smalling would be a temporary stop-gap to our defensive issues rather than someone who is going to solve our problems long-term. I would rather give Vertonghen a year’s extension rather than bring in Smalling. I believe the club has to be looking at a younger, upcoming central defender who can lead our backline for the next several years.
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