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Barcelona shuffling two options as possible Samuel Umtiti’s replacements

By Ernesto Hernandez

Barcelona's French defender Samuel Umtiti warms up before the start of the Spanish League football match between Real Madrid and Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on March 1, 2020. (Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP) (Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images)
Barcelona's French defender Samuel Umtiti warms up before the start of the Spanish League football match between Real Madrid and Barcelona at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid on March 1, 2020. (Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP) (Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Barcelona add new alternatives to the list of possible Samuel Umtiti replacements.

Barcelona appear to be planning a significant overhaul for next season with only a handful of players being safe. The club know they have to strengthen in every area on the pitch.

Perhaps none being more important than defense which is why rumors continue to surface that they are interested in selling Samuel Umtiti. Should he move on, they are going to need to sign someone to fill his spot.

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According to Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona have identified Manchester City’s Aymeric Laporte as someone who could do just that.

The Catalan outlet report that they could try to take advantage of City’s looming ban from the Champions League to entice the defender to join.

He ticks all the boxes Barcelona are looking for and is adept at playing from out the back. Being only 25, he’s still very much in the prime of his career.

Barça had been chasing the French defender for a while now back when he was playing for Athletic Bilbao before he decided to join City.

However, he’s integral to Pep Guardiola at City and it is going to take an extraordinary offer to pry him away regardless of their ban.

Taking that into consideration, according to Diario Sport, Barcelona are also interested in Villarreal’s Pau Torres. At 22, the Spanish defender is considered one of the more promising defenders in the league and one that could fit very will with the Blaugrana.

Torres has a €50 million release clause which at the moment looks unattainable for the club. Also, Villarreal are not looking to sell him and are unlikely to accept anything less than the full fee.

He would be a less expensive signing than Laporte but not by a significant amount.

What is clear is that Umtiti’s days seem numbered. Both Laporte and Torres are left-footed defenders just like Umtiti.

The French defender came from Lyon with a lot of promise and in his first season with Barcelona he looked like a steal. He slotted in perfectly and only cost €25 million.

Then the knee injury happened and it led to him being in-and-out of the team. Refusing surgery and opting for a conservative treatment didn’t alleviate the matter. He has been able to string a run of games under Setién with mixed results.

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The club may believe that he will never get back to the player he once was and may feel that the time is right to go their separate ways.

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