Barcelona’s Samuel Umtiti drawing interest from the Premier League
Barcelona planning a massive roster turnover for next season.
Barcelona have made it no secret that their plan for the offseason is to move on from players they deem surplus to requirements. One, in an effort to raise cash for transfers and two, to decrease their wage bill.
One such player who they already informed that they no longer count on is French center-back, Samuel Umtiti.
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According to Sport, Umtiti is drawing some interested from the Premier League. Specifically, from Everton and West Ham.
Both teams are looking to improve their defense come next season after disappointing 2019-20 campaigns.
It is worth mentioning that he is not Everton’s first choice as they have their sights set on Lille’s Gabriel Magalhaes and PSG’s Thiago Silva. But they face competition for Magalhaes from Manchester United and want to have options should they end up losing out.
Barcelona have done plenty of business with Everton the last couple of seasons and their good relationship could play a role in agreeing to a deal. In fact, Umtiti isn’t the only defender they’re interested in as they were previously linked to Jean-Clair Todibo.
As to be expected, however, Umtiti’s health is going to the big question mark. He is out injured at the moment and there is no timetable for his return. He’s dealt with a knee injury the past couple of seasons and he may need to opt for surgery to fix the issue.
The Catalans desperately want to move him on and are even willing to consider a possible loan move.
Umtiti not the only defender with a foot out the door.
The Frenchman is the highest-profile defender linked with a move away. But he isn’t the only one.
The future of right-back Moussa Wague also appears to be away from the Camp Nou. According to Mundo Deportivo, the Senegalese player is the next one on the way out with the club hoping to get somewhere in the neighborhood of €10 million.
He spent the latter half of the season on loan with French side Nice who declined to make the move permanent. Despite the lack of depth at right-back, he does not figure in Quique Setien’s plans.
Both he and Umtiti are on the chopping block and their futures should clearer once the Champions League is over.
Wague is back in Senegal waiting on news about his future while Umtiti remains adamant that he wants to stay at Barcelona. But that seems unlikely given his recent health history and the fact that they are interested in Manchester City’s Eric Garcia as his replacement.
Next. Samuel Umtiti might leave Barcelona and join Napoli. dark
When healthy, Umtiti has shown that he can be one of the best defenders in the world. The inability to stay healthy has been his downfall and perhaps a change of scenery would be the best thing for him.