Chris Smalling again proved his importance to Roma in their 1-0 win over Bologna and the Giallorossi are keen to tie down the Inter target to a new contract.
The English centre back joined the Roman outfit from Manchester United in August 2019, initially arriving on loan before making a permanent move the following year. Smalling has been Jose Mourinho’s most trusted player this season, playing 1906 minutes of action across all competitions, and he was again the guarantee in the backline in their 1-0 win over Bologna.
As reported by Il Messaggero, Inter are hoping to snap up Smalling on a free transfer in the summer, when his contract expires with Roma. The Giallorossi don’t want to lose the Englishman and are working to try and agree a new deal with the 33-year-old.
The Englishman’s contract contains a clause that would allow him to renew his contract for a further year with the same €3.5m net per season wages he earns now, should he reach 50% of games played this season. He is currently on track to hit this target by the end of the month.
Tiago Pinto, trying to get ahead of schedule, offered Smalling a two-year contract with lower wages worth around €2.5m net. A response has not been given yet but the club have seemingly made it clear that they’re not willing to increase the figures too much.