Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal are set to compete for the signing of Lyon’s Samuel Umtiti
Lyon had one of the best defences in Europe and 21 year-old Samuel Umtiti played a big part in it. The defender made 35 appearances for the French side in the league and was instrumental in the side’s (sadly, failed) title challenge.
Umtiti’s impressive displays for the French side have caught the eye of Premier League team with Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool supposedly interested in acquiring his services.
Umtiti is primarily a central defender but has the ability to play as the left-back making him an ideal addition to any of the mentioned teams.
According to Duncan Castles at One World Sports, Chelsea are seriously interested in the player. He writes: Chelsea have identified France under-21 international Samuel Umtiti as one of their preferred summer reinforcements as Jose Mourinho seeks to strengthen his defense for a renewed assault on the Champions League. .
The Blues lead the race for the player with some reports saying they could offer Loic Remy as part of a cash plus player deal. According to the Telegraph, “the loan signing of Radamel Falcao from Monaco in a move that has left Loic R my considering his Stamford Bridge future”. In these circumstances, using the striker as bait to get the talented young defender from Lyon may be a masterstroke from Jose Mourinho.
Umtiti has played for Lyon exactly 100 times already, and has made seven appearances for France Under-21s, too. For 21 years of age, that is a lot of experience.
According to The Independent, Liverpool have also joined the race for the talented young Frenchman. Arsenal are also in the race but from reports in the media at the moment, it seems that if the Frenchman moves away from Ligue 1 this season, it will be for Mourinho, who seemingly wants a partnership of Zouma and Umtiti for the future.