Barcelona Superstar Eyed By Manchester United
REUTERS/Albert Gea
Jose Mourinho has always been a manager who prefers the defensive style of play. Despite the fact that Manchester United command one of the best defensive records in the Premier League, their success at the back is more due to David De Gea than their defenders.
In fact, the likes of new signing Victor Lindelof, despite the sizable amount being spent on him, has been dismal in his two substitute appearances so far. Chris Smalling’s minutes have been far from satisfactory either, leading to him being ousted from England’s international squad.
As a result, Mourinho might look to purchase a defender in the upcoming window, and has set his eyes on Catalonia.
As per Mirror, Samuel Umtiti is being featured strongly on United’s radar. The 23-year-old has a release clause of £53 million, which supporters and manager alike will consider to be far below what the Barcelona youngster is worth.
Umtiti has been integral to the success of the La Liga giants. In fact, only Lionel Messi, Marc-Andre ter Stegen, and Sergio Busquets have enjoyed more minutes on the field than the youngster. His success has brought him attention from several big names in Europe, but Mourinho’s interest certainly appears to have the most substance to it.
However, with Pique set to turn 31 next year, Umtiti seems destined for a long spell at Camp Nou, and if his career so far is any indication, it is bound to be a successful one. As of such, convincing him to swap for Manchester United won’t be an easy task on their part. In addition to that, despite the release clause, it is certain that Barcelona will look to hold on to him.
French youngsters are proving to be quite the expensive movers across Europe, and it will be interesting to see whether or not Umtiti will follow suit.
Written by Naveen Kelvin 
A writer trying to craft the poetry within football. Purpose in life is to Make Good Art.