Manchester United are reportedly set to offer both Alexis Sanchez and Chris Smalling to Serie A side Inter in exchange for centre-back Milan Skriniar.
The 25-year-old Slovakia international joined Inter from Sampdoria in the summer of 2017 for close to £30 million.
Skriniar has been a consistent starter since his Stadio Giuseppe Meazza arrival and his ability to play on either the left- or right-hand side of three-man defence has made the star a vital part of Antonio Conte’s team this season.
Sanchez has been Milan’s teammate for this campaign after arriving on loan in the summer. Chris has also spent the 2019/20 term on loan in Serie A, making 37 appearances for Roma in all competitions.
In an attempt to get two ageing stars off the wage bill and bolster their defence at the same time, the Red Devils have offered Smalling and Sanchez to Inter, with Skriniar coming the other way according to the Italian media outlet Calcio Mercato.
This complex swap deal has supposedly arisen after negotiations to take Smalling to Roma broke down as the two sides failed to agree on a transfer fee for the former Fulham centre-half.
The Serie A side were thought to be offering €15m for Chris while his parent club was demanding as much as €25m after bonuses.
Manchester United have also been negotiating a separate deal to take just Alexis to Inter although finances have again complicated proceedings with the South American’s sizeable £400,000-a-week salary understandably a sticking point.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are considered to be reluctant to extend the loan deal of either Sanchez or Smalling as Manchester United hold out for a permanent transfer.
