Everton could be a potential destination for Manchester United defender Chris Smalling in the summer, according to Corriere dello Sport.
The 30-year old centre-back is currently on loan with Roma in the Italian Serie A, where he has played a major role for the Giallorossi.
The England international has played 19 times for Roma this season, starting and playing the duration in each of his appearances in the league for Paulo Fonseca’s side.
However, with Champions League qualification looking unlikely for Roma, Smalling may be forced to return to the Premier League, despite Corriere dello Sport reporting that he has ‘fallen in love’ with Rome.
The report claims that while the former Fulham man has indicated that he would take a pay-cut in order to remain in Rome, the Giallorossi doubt that Roma will be able to afford him if they cannot achieve Champions League qualification, leading to Smalling’s agent having contacted Everton and Spurs to stoke up interest.
Corriere dello Sport claim that Manchester United chief Ed Woodward has increased Smalling’s transfer fee to €20million, which interested parties will need to pay to pry the defender from Old Trafford this summer.
Should Everton qualify for the Europa League as they hope to this season, then that fee could be a snip in the current market.
Everton announced record financial losses last month, so it isn’t yet clear how much money they will have to play with this summer, but the club certainly need to overhaul a number of positions.
As well as a fourth centre-back, Everton also may need a midfielder to ease their issues in that department, while they are also short on options out wide. Djibril Sidibe will also cost a small sum, if Everton decide to go ahead and pursue his permanent option.
With those positions needing to be filled, and with Everton’s budget unknown, Smalling could be a relatively cheap option to occupy the fourth centre-back spot, while also bringing with him a wealth of Premier League and European experience to Carlo Ancelotti’s squad.
The Italian will know of the defender’s quality from his time in Italy this season, while he has also proven himself in England, winning all four competitions (EFL Cup, FA Cup, Premier League and Europa League) that Everton could be competing for next season.
While Smalling might not be the most glamorous or high profile target that fans may like to see Everton explore, he could be a very sensible acquisition as the Blues continue what is a slow building process.
