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Manchester United given hope of signing Samuel Umtiti

Manchester United may sign star defender Samuel Umtiti from Barcelona

Samuel Umtiti

London, March 2: Jose Mourinho's Manchester United could swoop for Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti with the Frenchman forced to delay extending his contract with the La Liga leaders, according to reports in Spain.

The Frenchman has a £53.4 million release clause in his current deal which expires in the summer of 2021.

Barcelona are keen for the 24-year-old to put pen-to-paper in order to raise that figure as part of the deal.

But they are being forced to wait until July 1 so they don't fall foul of UEFA's Financial Fair Play laws.

The Catalan side splashed out £145 million on Philippe Coutinho in January, leaving the club's hands tied in future deals.

And it could pave way for United boss Jose Mourinho to make a move and bolster his defence.

Manchester City were also interested in the Frenchman but their interest seems to be over following the signing of Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Bilbao in January.

Umtiti has been linked with a switch to Old Trafford in the past and the Red Devils are willing to offer the defender a substantial pay rise.

Barcelona are obviously keen on keeping hold of their key asset who has made 26 starts in all competitions this campaign.

And reports suggest that the club and player have already come to a gentlemen's agreement ahead of a potential new deal in the summer.

Barcelona chiefs want the new deal done before the World Cup.

The thinking behind that is Umtiti could pick up more suitors should France have a big showing in Russia this summer.

But until the new deal is official, Manchester United still have hope of snatching the player from Barcelona's grasp.

Financially, United are one of the strongest teams in the world and they need someone like Umtiti to bolster their defence that has been under-performing of late.

Story first published: Friday, March 2, 2018, 14:41 [IST]
Other articles published on Mar 2, 2018