Manchester United's Chris Smalling wants AS Roma return this summer, claims Giallorossi manager Paulo Fonseca

Manchester United defender Chris Smalling is hopeful of a return to AS Roma this summer, as per the Serie A club's manager.

The Englishman spent the entirety of the 2019/20 campaign on loan in Rome after he found playing time hard to come by at Old Trafford. Despite his inconsistent form for the Red Devils, Smalling impressed profoundly during his time in Rome, which helped him garner interest from clubs elsewhere.

Despite reports suggesting that Manchester United have hit an impasse in negotiations with Roma, the latter's manager is still hopeful of striking a deal for the Englishman.

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Roma manager Fonseca 'in contact' with Manchester United's Smalling

Smalling has left a superb account of himself in Serie A

Speaking on Chris Smalling's future, Roma manager Paulo Fonseca explained;

"I am in regular contact with Chris Smalling, I spoke to him yesterday. He wants to come back to Roma and we want to have him back. I think that there could be an update over the next few days."

The Englishman has been a pivotal player for Roma's 2019/20 campaign. Smalling has been given a new lease of life by the Giallorossi and Fonseca, who hopes for the defender to return to Rome.

It is important to note that these comments were made after Roma completed a deal for highly-rated defender Marash Kumbulla, highlighting Smalling's importance to the side. The Italian-born Albanian will not end the 30-year-old's hopes of returning to the Italian capital.

✅ @ASRomaEN 3-0 Brescia.🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 @ChrisSmalling’s performance:⚽️ 49’ - Goal🎯 57’ - Assist🎯 66’ - Assist🧤 FT - Clean Sheet🍾 Man Of The Match 👏 Masterclass. pic.twitter.com/XZmhWLCBpa

— SPORF (@Sporf) November 24, 2019

It was reported earlier on by multiple sources that Roma were not willing to go higher than €12m for Smalling's permanent transfer. However, Manchester United were said to be holding out for a fee of at least €15m or more for one of their longest-serving players.

Although Smalling could potentially make a great addition to the current Manchester United side, the 30-year-old has his heart set on a return to Rome, where he enjoyed a stellar Serie A debut campaign.

Roma manager Paulo Fonseca: “We’re negotiating with Manchester United to have Chris Smalling back. I’m in contact with Chris himself. He wants to come back to Roma and we want him, I hope I’ll have Smalling here in some days”. 🛑 #MUFC #Smalling #transfers

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 18, 2020

Speaking earlier on in the season on his star defender, Fonseca expressed;

"Chris [Smalling] has settled in completely now and he is playing well. He’s a great player and very important to the team."

Chris Smalling joins the list of players who are expected to depart from Manchester United this summer. Along with the Englishman, the likes of Marcos Rojo, Andreas Pereira, Phil Jones, and several others could be lining up for an exit from the club.

Rojo spent the last season on loan at his former club Estudiantes de La Plata, although played just one competitive game due to many reasons. The COVID-19 lockdown was one of the major reasons for his loan spell being an unsuccessful one, unlike that of Chris Smalling's.

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