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Former Manchester United defender Chris Smalling is becoming more open to the idea of playing in Saudi Arabia and will also reduce his wage demands to force a move from AS Roma this summer.
The England international joined United in 2010 from Fulham and stayed until 2020, when he would officially sign for AS Roma after spending the 2019-2020 season on loan in the Italian capital.
Smalling played a highly respectable total of 323 games for the club, finding the back of the net 18 times.
The 34 year old has also had a successful career in Italy, playing 155 times for the Romans and winning the Europa Conference League in 2022.
Nonetheless, according to The Mirror, Roma are aiming to cash in on players like Smalling this summer after he suffered from tendonitis for a lot of last season and failed to earn his way back into the starting line up.
Problematically for the defender, there has not so far been the interest that he or the club imagined there would be this summer and with only three weeks left of the window, he has needed to change his stance.
The report claims that “Smalling has been reluctant to consider a move to the Middle East thus far. The centre-half instead has preferred to centre his future in Europe, where he believes he could still fulfil an important role.”
His agent James Featherstone has reportedly tabled the notion of moving to Saudi Arabia due to the lack of interest from other sources.
Smalling’s salary is unlikely to cause any problems for Saudi clubs but has so far been an issue for European clubs to meet.
Therefore, he is “now said to be open to offers from anywhere, but is also willing to reduce his wage demands to remain in the continent.”
The lowering of wage demands can be crucial in pushing through a move as United have seen Victor Lindelof’s potential departure this summer blocked due to high wage demands.
In addition, former player David de Gea recently lowered his salary expectations and he has now sealed an intriguing move to Fiorentina as a result.
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