Four Premier League Sides Target Man Utd Defender Chris Smalling
By Ali Rampling
Exclusive - Chris Smalling has informed Manchester United that he will choose his next destination and will not be forced into a move he doesn't want - amid interest from a selection of sides in England, Italy and France.
The defender enjoyed a fruitful campaign on loan at Roma during the 2019/20 season, after being informed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer that his minutes at Old Trafford would be limited following the arrival of Harry Maguire.
Having been unceremoniously dropped by England in 2017, Smalling is keen to stake a claim for a spot in Gareth Southgate's squad for the 2021 European Championships, and is aware he will need to be playing regular first team football in order to do so.
90min understands that the 30-year-old would favour a move back to Roma. United are looking for around £20m for Smalling, which is currently proving a sticking point for the Serie A side, but the centre back would happily return to Italy on loan for another season.
However, United would rather offload Smalling on a permanent deal, and would be able to do so given the interest he has attracted from the Premier League and elsewhere.
Newcastle, Everton, West Ham and his former club Fulham - the side who plucked Smalling out of non-league obscurity and brought him to the Premier League - have all shown an interest, and importantly would be willing to pay his asking price.
But the defender is not prepared to move somewhere that he does not want to - and has told United as such.
Serie A sides Inter and Atalanta are also admirers of Smalling, as are Ligue 1 outfit Monaco.