Manchester United have been linked with a move for Barcelona central defender Samuel Umtiti, according to a report in Sport newspaper.
The Spanish champions have been reported elsewhere are willing to sell almost every member of their squad, with only Frenkie de Jong, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen and Lionel Messi - the world’s second best player - all available for the right price.
French World Cup winner Umtiti is another player who can be sold as they want to raise funds to balance the books and to carry out their own transfers in the summer transfer window and beyond.
The club have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, and have already agreed a wage reduction with the first team squad to secure their financial viability.
The 26-year-old player has only started nine league games for Barcelona this season which has led Barcelona to reduce his asking price, coupled with their desperation to move players off their books in the short term.
The original fee required would have been around £50 million, but that has been halved to £25 million in an attempt to attract buyers at a reduced fee.
United need a central defender to pair with Harry Maguire because despite some people claiming Victor Lindelof is good at football now, he unfortunately is not. United are one of the few clubs around with the financial resources to spend in the next transfer window, aided by a significant cash balance and revolver facility.
The paper claims that United would face competition for the player.
Mikel Arteta wants to strengthen his Arsenal squad because they are rubbish, while Inter Milan are keen as they search a replacement for Diego Godin. The 34-year-old defender is coming to the end of his career and may be moved on by Antonio Conte in the summer.
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