Barcelona have reportedly offered out-of-favour centre-back Samuel Umtiti to Newcastle United as they look to offload him in the ongoing transfer window.
According to a report from SPORT, Premier League outfit Newcastle United have been offered a chance to secure the signing of Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti in the January transfer window.
Umtiti has been with Barcelona for almost six years now, having first arrived in 2016 from French club Lyon. After a stunning start to life at Camp Nou, the 28-year-old has been on a steady decline due to injury and fitness problems, dropping down the pecking order behind the likes of Gerard Pique, Ronald Araujo, Clement Lenglet, Eric Garcia and Oscar Mingueza.
Umtiti has featured just once this season in all competitions, and Barcelona have made him available for a transfer as they look to clear his massive wages off the books. However, there has not been much interest in the Frenchman’s services. The likes of Fenerbahce and Besiktas had been linked, but the centre-back is uninterested in moving to Turkey.
AS Roma were keen to sign him on loan as well, but an agreement was not reached, leaving the Catalans out of options. With Umtiti now pushing to stay put at Camp Nou, the Blaugrana are believed to have turned to Newcastle United to take him off their hands. As per the report, Barcelona have offered the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner to the Premier League club via intermediaries.
Newcastle United find themselves close to the bottom of the league standings. Possessing one of the worst defensive records in the competition, the Magpies are on the lookout for reinforcements to escape the fate of relegation to the EFL Championship.
Newcastle have identified LOSC Lille defender Sven Botman as the priority. But the Dutch centre-back is unlikely to want to move to St. James’ Park and join the Tynesiders in their relegation battle. It has led to the club looking for alternatives, with Umtiti being mentioned as a potential target in the recent past.
Barcelona have now offered them a shot at signing the 28-year-old, although the Catalans are yet to receive a response from the cash-rich Premier League outfit. Whether Newcastle decide to take up the opportunity to sign Umtiti or look at other options remains to be seen.
