Mourinho Plotting £50m Move For Guardiola’s Favorite Defender
Reuters / Darren Staples
With the winter transfer window just a couple of days away, Barcelona’s star defender, Samuel Umtiti, is being eyed by the two Mancunian giants, according to reports in Spain.
Both the Premier League heavyweights are keen on bringing in defensive reinforcements in January, and in the process, have identified a common target in the form of the 24-year-old defender.
As per Spanish Outlet Don Balon, United and City could engage in a tug-of-war to acquire the highly rated Frenchman from the Catalan giants.
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And as for La Blaugrana, manager Ernesto Valverde is adamant to hold onto his prized asset.
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It is believed that a better contract offer might convince Umtiti to stay with the current La Liga leaders, but considering the financial power of his admirers, Barca may not be able to keep the the player at Camp Nou for long.
REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi
Also, another major concern for the Spanish giants is the fact that Umtiti has a ‘modest’ release clause of £50 million which, considering today’s inflated market, is a huge bargain.
Furthermore, with Liverpool having bagged former Southampton star and Man City’s prime target, Virgil van Dijk, for £75 million, selling the France international for £50m would be considered as a major loss for Barcelona.
The two dynamic managers, Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola, currently face stiff problems in their respective backlines, with the likes of Eric Bailly and Antonio Valencia sidelined due to injuries for the Red Devils, and John Stones, along with Vincent Kompany, out of action for the Cityzens.
Umtiti, who made his £20 million switch from Lyon back in July 2016, still has three-and-a-half years left on his current contract at Camp Nou.
Written by Sidharth Jindal 
Sports fanatic with a passion for writing (predominantly football) and “Wants to live life to its fullest.” Writes about the Premier League on his personal blog.