Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, despite having not yet put pen to paper to the new contract that Ivan Gazidis placed on the table back in October 2013, has already started making plans for the new season and Chris Smalling appears to be a pivotal part of them.
The Frenchman already had a keen eye on the blossoming defender when he was at Fulham in 2010 but indecisiveness and Arsenal’s lack of financial muscle led to the Red Devils snatching him from under the noses of the Emiates outfit.
David Moyes’ summer rebuilding plan, on the other hand, is moving in leaps and bounds with the manager having returned from yet another midweek scouting trip to Portugal. With the likes of Rafael da Silva, Rio Ferdinand and Phil Jones already occupying young Smalling’s favoured positions and more reinforcements set to come in, the Englishman is easily surplus to requirements at Old Trafford.
The £12M asking price can be negotiated and his current £52,000-a-week salary should not prove a hurdle for the Gunners who have repaid their stadium debt and need a fall-back plan incase out-of-contract Bacary Sagna does renew in the summer.
