Tottenham will step up their efforts in the summer to try and capture Manchester United defender Chris Smalling, according to reports.
The North London side will look to take the Englishman from the hands of Roma as the 30-year-old’s season-long loan at the Stadio Olimpico will come to an end in the summer. Smalling has made a huge impression in Serie A and his recent form has not gone unnoticed by his former manager Jose Mourinho, who now sits in the dugout at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium,
The Express confirmed that the Italian side have already progressed to advanced talks to take Smalling permanently, with the Red Devils looking for a fee of around £17m to take him off his hands. However, due to Financial Fair Play regulations, Roma can only offer as high as £14m as they try to bypass UEFA’s protocol.
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Smalling, who is on £80,000-per-week at Old Trafford (as per Spotrac), would have to become one of the highest earners at Spurs for the transfer to go through, with the former England international unlikely to accept a pay cut. At the age of 30 and in the back end of his career, this would be a huge gamble for Mourinho to take considering the defenders that he already has at the club.
Having previously stated how happy he was in Italy with his family, it is best if Spurs let Smalling make the permanent move to Roma and build for the future instead. They would be better off perfecting the technical ability of Japhet Tanganga, who has played at every level of the international scene at youth level. Ty Eyoma and Brooklyn Lyons-Foster are also youngsters with potential. However, we all know Mourinho’s track record with youth players.