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Quique Setien wants to reunite with Real Betis defender in Barcelona rebuild

By Atharva Khadilkar

SEVILLE, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 21: Aissa Mandi of Real Betis reacts during the La Liga match between Real Betis Balompie and RCD Mallorca at Estadio Benito Villamarin on February 21, 2020 in Seville, Spain. (Photo by Mateo Villalba/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
SEVILLE, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 21: Aissa Mandi of Real Betis reacts during the La Liga match between Real Betis Balompie and RCD Mallorca at Estadio Benito Villamarin on February 21, 2020 in Seville, Spain. (Photo by Mateo Villalba/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images) /
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Barcelona head coach Quique Setien has asked the club to sign Samuel Umtiti‘s replacement in a reasonably-priced Real Betis player.

Barcelona are expected to part ways with Samuel Umtiti in the summer. The France international was absolutely brilliant in his first couple of years at the Camp Nou, but injuries since 2018 which got worse after the FIFA World Cup cut short the player’s career at the Camp Nou by several years and relegated him to the bench for large parts.

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While no candidate has emerged as such for the former Lyon defender, Arsenal and Manchester United were linked with him last summer ago and there’s no reason to believe why the Premier League giants wouldn’t go for him this summer too. Having said that, Barca will need to sign a replacement for their departing player.

Don Balon reports that Quique Setien has asked the Barcelona board to bring in Real Betis star Aissa Mandi during the summer. The Algeria international became really successful at the Benito Villamarin under Setien. Mandi’s key characteristics are his speed, physique and his distribution of the ball from behind, all of which will benefit the Blaugrana.

Aissa Mandi is a regular with the Andalusian side but may contemplate his departure if his former manager and one of the world’s greatest clubs shows interest. Having said that, the player is at the peak of his powers at the age of 28. The defender will certainly want to play for a bigger club having spent a fair share of his career with his current side.

Real Betis value the player at 30 million euros and Mandi’s demands will certainly be very much within Barcelona’s reach. For such a low sum, if the Catalans are able to land a quality player who has been crucial for Betis and also played an integral role in Algeria’s AFCON triumph last year, it will be a win-win situation for all parties involved.

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Do you think Aissa Mandi is a player with enough quality to play for Barcelona?

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