Manchester United’s search for a world-class central defender continues as the Red Devils have been linked with quite a few defenders recently, including Matthijs de Ligt, Harry Maguire and Kalidou Koulibaly.
However, with de Ligt set to move to Juventus, Maguire linked strongly to Manchester City, and Napoli’s astronomical transfer demands for Koulibaly, the Red Devils have had to look elsewhere to sign a central defender.
The English club have now turned their attention towards Barcelona centre-back Samuel Umtiti, who lost out on his first-team place in the Spanish club’s team last year.
The report from Mundo Deportivo states that United have enquired about Umiti, but the Catalan club have rebuffed the approach, much like what Manchester United did to the Catalan club when they enquired about United centre-back Victor Lindelof.
Umtiti joined Barcelona from Lyon in 2016, when he was regarded as one of the most promising stars in French football for a fee of €25 million. The Frenchman has four years remaining on his current contract at Barcelona which expires in 2023.
The defender did not have a great season at Barcelona as a spate of injuries resulted in him missing several games and then a loss of form meant that he was replaced in the side by compatriot Clément Lenglet.
Umtiti played 15 games for Barca in the 2018-19 season, after being a part of the French World Cup-winning squad, where he played 6 games for the national team.
Is Samuel Umtiti the player Ole needs?
Umtiti is a very good player who can bolster any defence in European football and is a talent that will only grow in the coming years.
The Frenchman had a dip in form which resulted in him losing his first-team place, but he still remains a very good player.
A good tackler and reader of the game, the Frenchman can break up opposition play and has the vision and technical ability to dribble upfield or even pass from deep areas to initiate attacks from the back.
Umtiti could be a good player for United who have, at times, looked short of a player who can take the ball and make things happen, even if it is from the back.
Add to that their glaring shortage of world-class quality in the squad and a lack of a confident figure at the back, Ole’s intent to look for such options is positive but it needs to be seen whether Ed Woodward can deliver what his manager asks for this time around.
