For a week or so the possibility of Samuel Umtiti leaving Barcelona hasn’t been taken by the Catalan media as the potential impending disaster it had been.
An alleged contract offer from Manchester United of €9m a season after tax had been causing worry, given Barcelona don’t want to offer the defender similar terms on a new contract.
Umtiti’s €60m buyout clause certainly isn’t out of the reach of Manchester United and if the Frenchman tells Jose Mourinho’s men to go for it then a transfer wouldn’t be too difficult.
It’s felt by the Catalan media that Umtiti may have overplayed his hand, trying to put too much pressure on his current club, and that combined with a poor performance against AS Roma means a potential exit is being talked about more calmly.
On Friday, Mundo Deportivo report Barcelona are considering seeing the back of Umtiti and then signing Clement Lenglet from Sevilla for €30m.
Barcelona’s first choice would be to keep Umtiti, but they ‘do not want to renew at an exorbitant price’ and have a plan in place for the transfer scenario.
Mundo Deportivo add: ‘This is his first great year at Barça, not the fifth one. He has not earned his star status.’
This is why Barcelona ‘will not compete’ with the offer from Manchester United and should Umtiti not be happy with that then they can sell him for €60m and get Lenglet for half the price.
