Chris Smalling to AS Roma: Man Utd in talks over loan deal for defender
Manchester United are in talks with AS Roma over a loan deal for Chris Smalling.
The centre-back only signed a new contract in December, but has pushed down the pecking order at Old Trafford following the £80million arrival of Harry Maguire.
He has not featured in any of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s three matchday squads this season and faces a fight for regular football under the Norwegian.
Solskjaer wants to build his defence around two ball-playing centre-backs in Maguire and Victor Lindelof, with Axel Tuanzebe emerging as the first-choice back-up for that pair.
Reports in Italy claim a season-long loan has been agreed for Smalling, which United sources have failed to reject.
In Pictures | Man Utd's summer transfer business
Solskjaer has until September 2 to offload the unwanted members of the squad he inherited from Jose Mourinho, with Marcos Rojo and Matteo Darmian also deemed surplus to requirements.
Darmian is on the verge of a move to Valencia – but United’s decision to pull the plug on Rojo’s deadline-day loan switch to Everton has left his representatives trying to find suitors across Europe.
Alexis Sanchez is set to complete a loan to Inter Milan after undergoing a medical on Wednesday.
But clearing out a bloated defence was a priority for Solskjaer, who went into the season with seven first team centre backs on the books.
United rejected Everton’s move for Smalling earlier this month, with the 29-year-old said to still be part of Solskjaer’s plans.
But his lack of involvement so far this term has told a different story.
Smalling signed a deal that would keep him at Old Trafford until 2022 in December, with the option of a further year.
Notably, that was before Jose Mourinho was sacked and replaced by Solskjaer.
The Norwegian went on to hand Phil Jones a new deal, make Maguire the most expensive defender in history and decide to keep Tuanzebe at the club, rather than send the academy graduate on loan.
