Chris Smalling ‘given ultimatum by Roma who have offered the former Manchester United defender a two year deal but without a pay rise’ following interest from Juventus and Inter Milan
- Roma have reportedly offered Chris Smalling a two-year contract extension
- The 33-year-old’s contract in the Italian capital is up at the end of the season
- Jose Mourinho is keen to keep hold of a key defender and wants Roma to act
- Smalling is keen to stay at Roma but there is also interest from Juventus and Inter
Chris Smalling has reportedly been offered a new two-year deal to stay at Roma beyond the current season.
The former Manchester United defender’s contract in the Italian capital is up at the end of the season and his future beyond the summer remains uncertain.
In the past month Juventus and Inter Milan have been monitoring the ex-England international’s availability ahead of a possible free transfer in the summer.
Roma have reportedly offered Chris Smalling a new two-year contract to stay at the club
Roma though have made their first move towards extending his contract, with Corriere dello Sport claiming that Jose Mourinho’s side have offered the 33-year-old a two-year extension.
However, this has come with an ultimatum in that there will be no increase to his current wages, which could prove a sticking point with Smalling.
Smalling and Roma are not at an agreement over finances, with the defender wanting an increase to £3.5m for two years – up from his current salary of £3m.
Jose Mourinho is keen to keep hold of Smalling who has played every game this season
Reports suggest he has an appearance clause, which can be activated after he has played 50 per cent of matches this season and would trigger another campaign at the Stadio Olimpico.
He is well on course to achieve this having appeared in all of Roma’s 21 games across Serie A and the Europa League this term so far.
Since joining Roma in 2020, Smalling has settled well in Italy and is one of Roma’s defensive stars and a key man for Mourinho’s plans.
Smalling has settled at Roma where he is a valuable member of the first-team squad
Mourinho has instructed Roma to do all they can to extend the 33-year-old’s stay at the club
The former Chelsea, United and Tottenham boss will be even more keen to keep hold of Smalling now having reportedly lost out to Arsenal over plans to sign defender Evan Ndicka on a free transfer next summer.
Although Roma are sat in seventh outside of the European places they are just six points off AC Milan in second place who are eight points down on early runaway leaders Napoli – who remain unbeaten in the Italian top flight this term.
Juventus’s crisis in the boardroom following a mass resignation means the Bianconeri are likely to be courting free transfers over the summer, and Smalling’s proven ability in Italy makes him a key target when his contract is up this summer.
Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri (left) and inter Milan counterpart Simone Inzaghi would reportedly like to add the experienced Englishman to their squad next year
Inter have also reportedly made offers to his agent over a move to the San Siro as they also look to take advantage of his cheap availability.
Mourinho is unwilling to let Smalling depart so easily and has informed the club to do all they can to keep hold of the centre-back, who is content to stay in Rome.
Despite suffering a frightening armed robbery in Rome last year, Smalling has settled with his family and is keen to stay but his financial terms are not thought to be welcomed by the Roma owners, the Friedkin family.
