Chris Smalling is not a lock to stay at Roma next season. Everton asked for information about the center-back, and he could be let go for the right offer. New coach José Mourinho is looking for a defender with different characteristics, Gianluca Di Marzio reports.
The Giallorossi have been linked to high-profile names such as Sergio Ramos and Jerome Boateng, who will be free agents in two weeks. However, they need to sell one of their players to open up a spot in the defense before making an addition. Roger Ibanez was considered the likeliest option up to this point. However, he has a long-term contract and lost some value in the second half of the season. Therefore, Smalling has become a candidate, LaRoma24 indicates.
The Englishman was signed by Roma for €15M last year. They aim to get a bid in that neighborhood to avoid losing money. He is not pushing to bolt at this stage. If that were to happen, he would be keener on moving back to the Premier League rather than transfer to Turkey.
Smalling is coming off an injury-laden season where he has logged only 21 appearances. He missed time on four separate occasions due to thigh and knee issues. He was not as dominant as in his first Serie A campaign when he managed to take the field.
The Roma defense is set to be built around Gianluca Mancini, while Marash Kumbulla should have more minutes. One between Smalling and Ibanez will be sold and properly substituted. Federico Fazio is set to depart, while they did not extend Juan Jesus’ contract.