Arsenal face Chris Smalling transfer battle with £13m deal 'on table' for Man Utd defender

The Gunners have been linked with a move for the on loan centre-back but look set to face stiff competition for his signature

Arsenal are set to face competition from the likes of Inter Milan and Juventus for the signing of Manchester United centre-back Chris Smalling.

The 30-year-old has been on loan at Roma this season and has impressed so far in Serie A, making 11 appearances and scoring two goals to help his side to fifth place in the table.

According to Gazzetta Dello Sport Roma are keen to sign Smalling on a permanent deal, and are prepared to pay £13m in order to do so.

However, United are thought to be holding out for at least £17m, and are allegedly not willing to accept an offer under that amount.

Arsenal are desperate to add another centre-back to their squad in January, with Shkodran Mustafi likely to move on and little cover available for first-choice pairing David Luiz and Sokratis, and could see Smalling as a suitable cut-price option.

But when asked about the future of the player recently United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer appeared to suggest he would be welcomed back at Old Trafford when his season-long loan comes to an end.

"He's a boy who couldn't be here without being a regular and we decided on that," Solskjaer said. "I am so, so happy for him because we can see the top player he is."

When asked if he expected Smalling to return after his loan spell, Solskjaer simply said: "Yes".

Smalling was a key part of the United team when he joined from Fulham in 2010, and made 323 appearances in ten seasons at the club.

However, with the £80m summer signing of Harry Maguire his chances of first-team football at the club decreased, and he has appeared to enjoy his time in Italy so far, and it remains to be seen where he would most favour a move to at the end of the season.