Doubts have been raised over Man Utd ace Chris Smalling’s loan move to Roma being turned into a permanent switch this summer.
The 30-year-old has seemingly relished his time with the Serie A giants so far this season, establishing himself as a key figure in their backline having been brought in to help fill the void left behind by Kostas Manolas.
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Smalling has made 28 appearances across all competitions to date, and has contributed to keeping Roma in the hunt for a Champions League qualification spot.
However, as reported by the Daily Mail, although it’s stressed that Roma wish to keep the England international on board beyond this season, failing to secure a seat at Europe’s top table for next year could be something that goes against them as he may not want to stay.
As things stand, Roma are in fifth place in the Serie A table, three points adrift of Atalanta in fourth spot while the Giallorossi have also played a game more.
In turn, if they are unable to make up that deficit, that could be the first significant blow to their bid to keep Smalling on the books.
Further, it’s also noted that Roma may not be able to afford his £25m price-tag, and especially if they don’t have the revenue boost generated by Champions League qualification, that could ultimately end their hopes particularly given the financial impact that the coronavirus crisis is likely to have too.
With those two issues in mind, the chances of Smalling returning to Man Utd ahead of next season are seemingly considerable, and with the Mail noting that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants him back, things could fall into place for that to happen.
However, it would then be up to Smalling if he wanted to stay at Old Trafford, as he’ll still have to fight the likes of Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly for a starting berth next season and that might not be something that appeals having been first choice in Rome so far this year.