Barcelona outcast Samuel Umtiti has reportedly emerged as a target for Ligue 1 clubs Montpellier, OGC Nice and Rennes ahead of the summer window.
According to SPORT, Ligue 1 clubs OGC Nice, Rennes and Montpellier are interested in signing Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti on a loan deal in the upcoming summer transfer window.
Umtiti has been with Barcelona for almost six years now, having joined from Olympique Lyon in 2016. The Frenchman enjoyed a solid couple of seasons at Camp Nou, but it has gone downhill for him ever since. He has been blighted by unrelenting injury problems, which has led to him completely falling out of favour at the club.
Barcelona wanted to offload Umtiti last summer, but the 28-year-old convinced president Joan Laporta to give him another chance. Having hardly featured in the first half of the season, a parting of ways was considered in January before a freak injury sidelined him from action, putting an end to the club’s hopes of cashing in on him.
It is clear that Umtiti has no future at Camp Nou, but there are not a lot of top clubs interested in signing him due to his injury record and wages. However, things are looking somewhat bright thanks to the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner signing a new downward renewal in January, which has seen a significant drop in his salary.
It has opened the door for a potential loan move in the summer, with plenty of interest coming from Umtiti’s homeland of France. Ligue 1 clubs are willing to take him on loan provided Barcelona contribute some percentage of his wages, as they are doing with Philippe Coutinho’s temporary move to Aston Villa.
Umtiti is said to be favouring a return to his old club, Olympique Lyon, but there has been no report of interest from Les Gones. But three other Ligue 1 clubs in OGC Nice, Montpellier and Rennes have come up as suitors for the injury-prone defender ahead of the summer window.
Rennes, in particular, are reported to hold a strong interest in Umtiti, having been linked with him in the past as well. His high salary made the switch practically impossible. But with the Frenchman on reduced wages, and Barcelona likely to contribute some percentage of his pay in case of a loan move, Rennes are considering a move.
With the Ligue 1 club in contention to make it into the UEFA Champions League next season, Umtiti, too, might find the move favourable. It remains to be seen what the future holds for the 28-year-old.
