No Saudi Pro League Respite for AS Roma as Chris Smalling, Leandro Paredes Turn Down Offers
AS Roma’s hopes of the Saudi Pro League salvaging their financial situation has hit another snag. Reports in Italy indicate that defender Chris Smalling and midfielder Leandro Paredes have turned down offers from Saudi clubs.
Both players earn around €4 million per year, and given their age and injuries, they are not part of the core squad. Consequently, the Italian club placed both players on the transfer list with the hope that the Saudi club would jump at the chance of getting experienced players with leadership skills and still have something to offer on the pitch.
For Paredes, a Saudi offer conflicted with his plans to spend the final year of his contract in the Italian capital and then move back to Argentina to play for his boyhood club, Boca Juniors. When the offer from Saudi Arabia came earlier in the summer, he did not hesitate to turn it down.
Smalling, a former Manchester United man is the more likely candidate to move to the Saudi Pro League this summer. With the change in approach from the SPL, clubs are now making reasonable offers and relying on the attractiveness of the project to convince players. Smalling received an offer tabled during AS Roma’s pre-season training camp in England but turned it down. Given that he did not close the door on a possible move, Smalling may be holding out for a better offer.
