Chris Smalling: Assessing the Candidates to Sign Him & Where He Should Go

About a year ago, Chris Smalling looked lost.

The 30-year-old had been in and out of the Manchester United team, yes, but you'd have conceivably thought that Marcos Rojo or even Phil Jones would have been shown the Old Trafford door first.

But after Harry Maguire's £80m arrival from Leicester, Smalling's world turned upside down when he was suddenly informed that a move away would be best for him.

Roma would be his surprise destination, but even more surprisingly, it's a switch that has brought out the very best in Smalling. England's 31-cap international was in sensational form for I Giallorossi last season, restoring his reputation and resurrecting his career after all had seemed lost.

Now, he's a wanted man - with his United career still appearing to be over, despite his revival. So where next? Here, 90min reviews the contenders to sign him, ranking them by the likelihood and suitability of joining them.

6. Juventus

Smalling adapted to life in Italy like a duck to water, enjoying a tremendous season with Roma. It was so good, in fact, that other teams across Italy began to sit up and take notice.

One of those sides were Juventus, who, despite winning their ninth successive Serie A crown, have been from their best. Champions League elimination at the hands of Lyon, coupled with a flurry of miserably flat displays, ended up costing Maurizio Sarri his job, and also raised question marks about the club's defence.

Giorgio Chiellini was ruled out for a large portion of the season through injury, whilst Matthijs de Ligt took longer than anticipated to acclimatise to life in Turin. That said, Juve do have depth in that position - and are unlikely to pull out all the stops for Smalling.

Likelihood Rating: 2/10
Suitability Rating: 2/10

5. Arsenal

Everyone knows that Arsenal need new defenders.

David Luiz, Shkodran Mustafi and Sokratis Papastathopoulos have had a difficult season to say the least, but with new signing William Saliba arriving, it is clear that the Gunners are trying to strengthen at the back.

Chris Smalling would not be a popular signing among Arsenal fans but after a strong season in Italy, he may be what Arsenal need.

Likelihood Rating: 1/10
Suitability Rating: 5/10

4. Fulham

Smalling signed for Manchester United from Fulham in 2010 as a 20-year-old, having only played 13 times for the west London side.

Now that Fulham have won promotion back into the Premier League, they may want to bring in a defender with plenty of top-flight experience - which makes a whole lot of sense after their tragically bad campaign from a couple of seasons ago.

The Englishman's wages may prove a stumbling block, however, and the Cottagers may be wise to spread their costs out, rather than placing all of those golden eggs in one basket.

Likelihood Rating: 4/10
Suitability Rating: 4/10

3. Inter

Antonio Conte loves his Premier League players, and recent reports indicate that he's looking to make Smalling his fourth Manchester United signing in recent times.

I Nerazzurri enjoyed a generally strong domestic campaign under the former Chelsea boss, but did occasionally let things slip at the back. There's also uncertainty around the futures of both Milan Skriniar and Diego Godin, with both candidates to depart San Siro.

Consquently, chasing Smalling makes a whole lot of sense - he's familiar with the division, has shown he can cut it with Serie A's best and he'd have a a whole host of Premier League alumni to get along with. Bingo.

Likelihood Rating: 6/10
Suitability Rating 7/10

2. Newcastle United

There's every chance that Smalling - despite enjoying his time with Roma - wants to come back to England, and United offering him out to a whole host of Premier League clubs could help facilitate a move.

Newcastle are thought to be keen on bringing him to the north east, and Smalling is likely to become immediate first choice if he does join. The Magpies will have a limited transfer budget this summer though, so the price set at £20m may be too high.

So much for that takeover, eh.

Likelihood Rating: 5/10
Suitability Rating 9/10

1. Roma

Going back to Roma, full time, just makes perfect sense - you know it, we know it, he knows it and the world knows it.

Reviving your career isn't an easy thing to do, so Smalling must have found some real comfort in his Italian surroundings. Talks between United and Roma over a permanent deal have been up and down more than the Olympic yo-yo champion's, well, yo-yo, but that's not to stay an agreement can't be reached.

A takeover of Roma is imminent, and an injection of funds could seal the deal once and for all.

Likelihood Rating: 9/10
Suitability Rating 10/10