Barcelona outcast set to follow Ivan Rakitic to Juventus

One of Barcelona’s most sparsely used players from this campaign could be set for a blockbuster transfer to Juventus during the summer.

Barcelona central defender Samuel Umtiti was an absolute beast in the centre of the team’s backline over the last two seasons. However, an injury in October meant that the Frenchman was ruled out until a few weeks ago. Umtiti’s return has not gone as per plan in any way whatsoever and the repercussions could be drastic.

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Samuel Umtiti is lacking in speed and confidence, whereas technically also he seems to have been out of touch since nearly forever. He put in one of his worst performances in a while when Barcelona shipped four against Villarreal last week and was responsible for the concession of nearly every goal.

That said, Clement Lenglet has grabbed his chance with both hands and has turned Barcelona’s central defence position his own alongside Gerard Pique. Moving him out of the squad just to bring in a World Cup winner is simply unfair and unreasonable given how well Clement Lenglet has done this season.

As a result, Barcelona are planning to get rid of Samuel Umtiti before injury and game time issues start mounting up. The defender has no intention of leaving the club, but he obviously prefers to go than warm the bench week in and week out. Moreover, Barcelona need to gather funds if they are to sign Matthijs de Ligt this summer.

Samuel Umtiti has offers from Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United, but Juventus have seemingly stolen a march over the other suitors and are now being considered as front-runners for the defender’s services. In Turin, the need for a central defender is graver than in Manchester or Paris given that Barzagli, Bonucci and Chiellini are ageing and Daniele Rugani is uncertain about his future at the Allianz Stadium.

The Catalans value Samuel Umtiti at 80 million euros, but they may want to think twice before selling him to Juventus. Cristiano Ronaldo’s signing last summer has meant that the Old Lady is already a calibre above its usual self in the Champions League, and Barcelona could consider Juventus as a direct rival to the UCL trophy every year.

Should Barcelona sell Samuel Umtiti or keep him and allow him to recover well from the injury?