Tottenham look to fend off interest from rivals for Samuel Umtiti
Tottenham are set to battle Arsenal and Manchester United for Barcelona’s French defender Samuel Umtiti. (h/t Metro)
The 26-year-old is currently behind Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet in the Barcelona hierarchy and has made just 4 appearances in La Liga this season. (h/t Metro)
Umtiti joined Barcelona in 2016 and quickly established himself as a regular in the Catalan defense. Injuries, however, have limited the player to just 22 appearances in the last two seasons.
Barcelona look set to cut their losses and try to sell of the player as quickly as possible.
Tottenham have had one of the worst defensive records in the league and have kept just 1 clean sheet in 12 games under Jose Mourinho.
With a defensive shakeup required, Umtiti has been recognized as one of the players who can inject solidity to a flagging Spurs backline.
Premier League rivals Arsenal and Manchester United are also interested in the player as they too look to address their defensive frailties.
Umtiti’s contract with Barcelona runs until 2023, however, the player can reportedly be bought for as little as £20 million.
More Tottenham News
City and United to battle it out for midfielder Harry Winks
Tottenham are interested in Brighton’s Ben White who is on loan at Leeds
Three Harry Kane replacements Tottenham must target to salvage season
A winner of the ‘Legion of Honour’, Umtiti has won both the Under-20 and the senior World Cups with France.
He has made 31 appearances scoring 4 goals. He memorably scored the winner in the World Cup semifinals in 2018 against Belgium.
