Reports: 3 European giants keen on signing Manchester United defender Chris Smalling

Three Italian giants- Inter Milan, AS Roma and Juventus- are in a race to sign Manchester United defender Chris Smalling, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport. The 30-year-old spent last season on loan at AS Roma, where he made 37 appearances in all competitions.

AS Roma were unable to match Manchester United's valuation for the defender, and the England international has subsequently returned to Old Trafford. The centre-back will, however, play no part in Manchester United's Europa League campaign.

Manchester United centre-back Chris Smalling attracts interest from Serie A giants

Chris Smalling was unable to complete the season with AS Roma in the Europa League as Manchester United refused to extend the defender's loan with the Italian giants.

AS Roma lost 2-0 to Sevilla in the knockout stage of the Europa League, clearly missing the England international's presence at the back.

Chris Smalling of AS Roma celebrates after scoring a goal

The Manchester United centre-back completed a flawless season in Serie A, raising questions regarding his future with Manchester United.

Speaking of the defender's future ahead of the Europa League fixture against LASK last week, Red Devils manager, Ole Gunnar Solskajer, said:

"I think Chris has shown over his career at Man United how valuable he is for Man United. This season was about him being a regular, going to Roma, showing and proving how good a centre-back he is. I wanted to give Harry (Maguire), Vic [Victor Lindelof], maybe Axel (Tuanzebe) a chance, so we found out that was the best for him to go to Roma, play for a year."

Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof have been the first-choice partnership for the Norwegian as the Red Devils kept the highest number of clean sheets in Europe's top five leagues (in all competitions).

Youngster Axel Tuanzebe, on the other hand, has failed to match his promise as he suffered from niggling injuries throughout the campaign, after an impressive loan spell at Aston Villa last season.

However, Solskajer was non-committal about Smalling's future at Old Trafford saying:

"Now he’s coming back and Chris has shown this season that he will be valuable."

Chris Smalling has a contract with Manchester United till 2023, with the club reportedly willing to listen to offers above £18 million for the former Fulham man.