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Arsenal have launched a £25 million bid for Manchester United defender Chris Smalling,
The 30 year old England international had fallen out of favour at Old Trafford, particularly with the arrival of Harry Maguire at the club, and was sent out on a season’s loan to Roma in August.
In Italy he has enjoyed a career renaissance, and has earned a reputation already as one of the best defenders in Serie A.
Roma would like to make the loan permanent, but there is a divergence on price. They were hoping to pay £20 million, but United are holding out for at least £25 million.
That price gap has given Arsenal the opportunity to step in and make a bid, offering the former Fulham man the opportunity to return to London. With United ready to sell him if they get the right offer, they could face competition though from Tottenham, Everton and Leicester City.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.