The marriage between Barcelona and Samuel Umtiti is not going to be healed. The defender was unsuccessfully on the list to be sold last summer and, according to Sport again looking for another employer in January. The Catalan club would have even begged the Frenchman to leave the club, now that some clubs from the Premier League, among others, are listening to his services.
Barcelona did everything they could to get rid of the 27-year-old centre-back last summer, but failed. After meeting President Joan Laporta, Umtiti agreed to a pay cut in an ultimate bid to succeed at Barça. However, the defender did not play for a minute this season under Ronald Koeman, who has since left. The last time he was inside the lines during an official match was on May 22 against Eibar. In total, the mandekker only made sixteen appearances in all competitions last season.
According to Barcelona, November is therefore crucial to achieve a departure. According to Spanish media, Umtiti has some offers from the Premier League in his pocket, albeit not from top clubs. Clubs in France and Turkey are also eager to see the 2018 world champions come. Last summer, Umtiti also had the option of leaving Barcelona, but reportedly turned down offers from AS Roma, OGC Nice and AS Monaco, something that was not appreciated by Barcelona fans.
They held Umtiti responsible for Lionel Messi eventually leaving the club. The center defender struggled with a lingering knee injury after the World Cup in 2018, which kept him sidelined for a long time, after which doubts remained about his fitness in Barcelona. Supporters decided to whistle for Umtiti, who has always claimed to be fully fit. The Frenchman has played for the club 132 times so far, after being taken over from Olympique Lyon in 2016 for up to €30 million.
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