Manchester City reportedly view French defender Samuel Umtiti as a potential replacement for Eric Garcia, who is set to join Barcelona.
According to a report by Spanish outlet El Gol Digital, Manchester City have turned their attention towards Samuel Umtiti over a possible move in the summer transfer window. The French defender is being considered as a possible replacement for Eric Garcia, who, in turn, is on the cusp of joining Barcelona.
Umtiti’s career has gone pear-shaped since joining Barcelona from Lyon in the summer of 2016. Having arrived at Camp Nou rated as one of the best young defenders in the game, the 27-year-old defender was initially a success for the Blaugrana, having impressed in his maiden campaign.
However, a spate of injuries have curtailed his game-time considerably, and as a result, he has managed to rake in just 131 appearances for Barcelona. Heading into the summer transfer window, it looks like things have reached a head at the Catalan club, who are ready to cut their losses on Umtiti. And, Manchester City seem to be attentive to his situation.
Manchester City will need to sign a centre-back this coming summer, considering Eric Garcia is on the verge of joining Barcelona. The Spanish international’s departure would still leave the Premier League heavyweights with four recognised centre-backs in Ruben Dias, John Stones, Aymeric Laporte and Nathan Ake.
However, it looks like Pep Guardiola is keen on retaining five central defensive options, which is why he has now set his sights on Umtiti. With the Barcelona defender, who is also reportedly on the radar of Manchester United, unlikely to be a regular ahead of Dias, Stones and Laporte, his arrival could be a well-informed one to make up the numbers in the Manchester City defensive unit.
Having said that, it will be interesting to see if the Premier League giants do launch the offensive for Umtiti when the summer transfer window. If not, it is still likely that he will be on his way out of Barcelona in the summer transfer window, with the Blaugrana also keen on getting his high wages off the books. An intriguing summer beckons the 27-year-old French defender.
