The latest reports have claimed that Manchester United are making an inquiry for Barcelona center back Samuel Umtiti in the summer following the signature of Aaron Wan Bissaka from Crystal Palace to strengthen their back line.
The red half of Manchester endured a torturous season last term as they finished in sixth place on the Premier League table and without any team spirit for the most part of the campaign. There is plenty of work that needs to be done to bring the 20-time Premier League champions back to the summit and United need reinforcements this summer to become a force.
One department that Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needs to bolster is his backline because of the leaky United defense. The Red Devils have been unable to create a strong base because Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Victor Lindelof, and Eric Baily have been caught out on more than a few occasions being susceptible to errors on a regular basis.
United was in dire need of a center back for the past couple of seasons and was targeting either Napoli star Kalidou Koulibaly or Leicester City’s Harry Maguire as the top transfer targets but the two are very expensive in today’s transfer market. Even Dutch defender Matthijs De Ligt was a target for the Red Devils but the 19-year-old looks set to join Serie A champions Juventus.
However, the Catalonians are still holding out on a deal for the teenage sensation De Ligt to lure him to the Camp Nou. If De Ligt signs for Barcelona, then the La Liga giants will look to offload French center-back Samuel Umtiti in the summer with Manchester United keen on signing the World Cup winning French defender.
Reports claim that Barcelona is willing to part ways with the 26-year-old Umtiti because of the persistent knee problems that kept him out of action for the majority of last season. The center-back signed for Barcelona back in 2016 from Ligue 1 side Lyon in a £24.6 million transfer deal and Barcelona would consider a bid for Umtiti if United step up their interest in the defender.
