Roma to Increase Chris Smalling Bid & Ask for Diogo Dalot on Loan
By Tom Gott
Roma are prepared to come close to meeting Manchester United's asking price over centre-back Chris Smalling, and they are even willing to take right-back Diogo Dalot on loan as well.
Smalling enjoyed an excellent year on loan in Rome last season and all parties are keen to make the move permanent, but Roma have continuously failed to meet United's asking price, which has kept talks rumbling on since the transfer window first opened.
United are looking for close to £16m to part ways with the defender, and according to Fabrizio Romano, Roma are ready to up their bid to somewhere close to that value. No numbers are given, but Roma are said to be 'confident' that this offer will get the job done.
However, an interesting addition to Roma's proposal is the idea of Dalot moving on loan as well. United are keen to part ways with him this summer, but as they have already told Milan, their focus remains on securing a permanent departure for the Portugal international.
It's possible that United will soften their stance at this point in the window. Teams only have until Monday to get deals over the line, and with no suitors coming forward with cash bids for Dalot, United may have to accept a temporary exit.
United will be frustrated to see this drag on so late in the window - just as they are with their chase of Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho - with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer keen to raise money to invest in other areas of the squad.
One target for the boss is Porto left-back Alex Telles. United have been in talks with the Portuguese side for weeks but have declined to meet their asking price of £18m, instead submitting bids closer to the £12m mark.
A Bola note that United are prepared to increase their bid to £13.6m, but that will include a number of bonuses and add-ons - something which Porto are not pleased about.
Porto fear that most of those additional clauses won't actually be triggered, and they remain determined to get £18m out of United before the window closes.
United are also pursuing a loan move for Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembélé, who is seen as a plausible alternative if they fail to pull of the Sancho deal.
