Roma fear with Chris Smalling a repeat of what happened with Henrikh Mkhitaryan, whom Inter lured away by offering a richer salary in the final days of his contract. The Giallorossi wish to keep their linchpin, or at least avoid the same scenario since they got burned late, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports.
An option gives the defender the faculty to tack on a year once he makes his 29th seasonal appearance. It will happen in January if he stays healthy. The management will demand clarity from the center-back, who has to okay the activation of the renewal.
Roma hope Smalling will do it early rather than wait it out and shop for offers from Inter or Premier League sides. In addition, the Giallorossi are willing to discuss a longer deal. They’d be happy to hand him a two-year contract if he agreed to a lower salary. He currently earns €3.5M per year.
In any case, the capital side won’t participate in bidding wars, nor do they want to be informed of his decision only in June. Juventus eyed him in the past as well. There would be no shortage of suitors if he were available on a free since he’s been solid in Serie A.
Our Take on Roma, Inter, and Smalling
The Giallorossi are playing a dangerous game, as it’d be way harder for them to replace the Englishman than it was the case for Mkhitaryan, especially if they’ll continue to spend little in the transfer market. The structure of the clause makes very little sense overall. His wages aren’t too high, so somebody may outbid them. The Nerazzurri’s chase is probably directly intertwined with Milan Skriniar’s fate.
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