Barcelona reportedly value Samuel Umtiti at €80m, which could be enough to put off Juventus from making a move for the Frenchman this summer.
The 25-year-old is coming off the back of a frustrating campaign in which he has been limited to just 15 appearances for the Catalan giants, largely due to a troublesome knee injury.
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That in turn handed compatriot Clement Lenglet the opportunity to establish himself alongside Gerard Pique, and the pair have seemingly now become the first-choice pairing for coach Ernesto Valverde.
Coupled with ongoing speculation linking Matthijs de Ligt with a move to Barcelona which could cost them €75m, as per Goal.com, it seems to have raised question marks over the future of Umtiti at the Nou Camp.
As noted by Calciomercato, via Don Balon, it’s suggested that Barcelona will not allow the World Cup winner to leave on the cheap, as it’s claimed that they will demand €80m to green light an exit.
That in turn would arguably make sense given the fee required to snap up De Ligt from Ajax, as suggested in the report above, which would cover Barcelona’s spending and help balance the books.
However, it might not be that simple as Calciomercato add that Juventus aren’t willing to pay that much for Umtiti, and so either Barcelona will have to lower their demands or risk seeing the Turin giants consider alternative targets.
Time will tell how the situation plays out, but with Jean-Clair Todibo also in the mix as a long-term option, Barcelona will have to figure out how to manage their defensive options.
Thomas Vermaelen will see his current contract expire while Jeison Murillo’s loan spell will come to an end this summer. In turn, there is a gap to be filled and so perhaps if the likes of De Ligt and Umtiti are happy to compete for a starting berth, Barcelona could yet plan to have both.