Girona FC board member Pere Guardiola has hinted that the club might make a move for Barcelona outcast Samuel Umtiti this summer.
Speaking on Que T’hi Jugues (h/t SPORT), Pere Guardiola, the president of the board of directors of Girona FC, has claimed that the newly-promoted La Liga side could be in contention to sign Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti in the summer transfer window.
The French international’s career has completely stalled over the past couple of seasons, with injuries and poor performances seeing him drop out of favour at Barcelona. The Catalan giants were pushing to offload him last summer but he managed to convince president Joan Laporta to give him another opportunity.
However, that did not work out for Umtiti as he spent much of the 2021/22 campaign out injured and played just one official game all season. With Barcelona intent on cost-cutting this summer, the French international is one of the priority candidates who are likely to be shown the exit doors.
Umtiti has attracted interest from clubs in Ligue 1, but his salary is proving to be a major hurdle for any transfer to go through. Premier League giants Arsenal have also been offered a chance to sign the injury-prone defender in the ongoing transfer window. But the Gunners have shown little interest in the centre-back.
?️ Pere Guardiola (Chairman of the board of directors of Girona / Brother of Pep Guardiola): "We are not ruling out signing Umtiti for Girona (laughs). https://t.co/JIEHrOAXTm
— Barca Headlines (@barcaheadlines) June 20, 2022
With Barcelona facing difficulties in moving on Umtiti this summer, a surprise option has emerged as a possible destination for the 28-year-old defender. Indeed, newly-promoted La Liga side Girona have popped up as a potential suitor for the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner, with club board member Pere Guardiola hinting at a move for the Frenchman.
On the topic of Umtiti, Guardiola, the brother of Manchester City manager Pep, said: “We do not rule out that Umtiti signs for Girona.” When pushed further on the subject, he added: “Talk to Quique Cárcel and Michel about these things,” pointing to Girona’s sporting director and manager.
With Barcelona set to sign Andreas Christensen imminently and wanting to add another defender, Umtiti’s time at Camp Nou is clearly up. However, a summer move to the Spanish outfit looks a bit far-fetched at this point.
