Barcelona make defender Samuel Umtiti available for summer transfer

Barcelona make defender Samuel Umtiti available for summer transfer

Umtiti: Me encantaría acabar en el Barça pero...
 Soy joven, ¿eh? Tengo tiempo y tengo que jugar, jugar y jugar y ganar títulos, manifiesta el francés en una entrevista a Futbolmanía / | Futbolmania

The club are looking for income to use to re-build the squad

Barcelona are working hard on future plans and their new sporting project and that will involve some impacting sales this summer, one of which could be Samuel Umtiti. The Blaugrana have decided the Frenchman can leave this summer and have made him available for a transfer. The idea is to bring in cash to goo towards regenerating the squad. 

Umtiti was on the market last summer but fitness issues meant none of the interest materialised into offers. However, he has shown a certain amount of consistency this season and Barça believe it's the ideal moment to move him on. He signed for the club for 25 million euros from Lyon in 2016 and renewed his deal in 2018. He has a release clause of 500 million. The club had to renew him at the time as his previous release clause was low and he could have left on the cheap. 

After the renewal, which came before the World Cup in Russia, the knee problems began. He has missed many games since. Barça wanted him to undergo surgery but he resisted and sought conservative treatment. Finally, this season he has returned to some sort of form and Quique Setien has even preferred him to Clement Lenglet. Despite all that, his value and the interest in him mean the club will look to move him on. Setien knows the club's intentions and has given the green light, even though he likes the defender.  

Umtiti has one offer already from an unknown club, but it seems Manchester United are the side who will fight hardest to obtain his signature. Barça want to bring in 130 million in the summer and selling Umtiti will be key to hitting that target. The club also have not hidden the fact they are looking for a new left-sided centre-back: a younger player who earns much less than the French international. 

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