Chris Smalling has enjoyed a fantastic debut season in the Italian league with AS Roma.
With Chris Smalling’s temporary spell nearing its end, AS Roma are finding ways to forge a financial package which could match the valuation of his parent club, Manchester United.
After the arrival of Harry Maguire at Manchester United, Chris Smalling envisaged a considerable drop in his game time during the 2020/21 campaign. To gain consistent playing minutes, the English centre-back decided on options away from Old Trafford last summer.
Seeing an opportunity to land an experienced player in their ranks after the departure of Kostas Manolas to Napoli, Roma approached United for the services of Chris Smalling without Phil Jones. The deal was struck fairly quickly as this transfer suited each party.
Despite a common consensus to discuss a permanent transfer, a one-year loan deal was signed citing Roma’s financial limitations and United seeking room to negotiate a bigger fee should Smalling performs well in the foreign league.
Since his move to La Magica, the 30-year-old has enjoyed an array of dominant performances at the heart of the defence. Being away from the physical harshness of the Premier League, Smalling has found it easier in a slow-paced and tactical footballing environment.
Paulo Fonseca, AS Roma manager, has praised the presence of a dominating figure in Chris Smalling to marshal Giallorossi’s defence.
Citing Smalling’s success at Stadio Olimpico, Gianluca Pertrachi, Roma’s Sporting Director, has been working on formulating a transfer bid that could meet United’s ends. The parent club value the experienced defender around 25 million euro mark.
Roma seeking an innovative financial package
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The Yellow and Reds are not blessed with a brimming revenue model and they generally seek temporary moves with a clause to make the deal permanent, often including players moving in either direction to balance wage bills – a common theme which is followed while executing a majority of transfer deals in Italy.
So, to attain a player whose valuation crosses their financial threshold, Roma have reportedly found multiple ways to propose the transfer fee to Manchester United.
Firstly, it was said that La Lupa will offer a one-year temporary deal for a loan fee of €3m. On its expiry, an obligation to buy Chris Smalling will be activated worth €15 million – paid in three equal annual instalments. However, no agreement was reached as the Red Devils were reluctant to allow their player to feature in the Europa League – citing direct competition from Roma.
"Roma want to pay €3m up front to keep Smalling next year, as well as include a ‘mandatory purchase clause’ worth €15m, payable over three years. (GDS via Sport Witness)"
With Smalling’s previous loan term set to expire on June 30, the clubs agreed on a deal to extend the defender’s stay at Stadio Olimpico till the Serie A concludes.
Now, once again, Pertrachi is working on an improved deal to keep Smalling at Roma. As per latest reports, the initial one-year loan worth €3m exists, but the club is willing to pay €14m upfront as an obligation to buy the centre-back in 2021.
"The Italians are prepared to tweak things a little bit, as the same news outlet now state it’s a €17m package, split via €3m up front for the loan and a €14m fee payable in 2021. (GDS via Sport Witness)"
Amid all this, Manchester United have remained firm in their valuation of Smalling, which stands in excess of 20 million euros. Now, with the pandemic hurting clubs financially, it would be intriguing to see whether the Old Trafford hierarchy are willing to lower their demands to allow cash influx in 12 months time.