Arsenal have been offered the chance to sign Barcelona centre-back Samuel Umtiti this summer with the La Liga giants looking to trim their wage bill further. The Gunners reportedly came close to signing the 28-year-old during the January transfer window only for the move to breakdown.
Umtiti has long been admired by many in north London, having helped France to World Cup glory back in 2018. The centre-back scored the winner against Belgium in the semi-finals in Russia but a knee injury during the following season marked the start of his downfall at the Nou Camp.
His stock has only lowered since with the defender coming in for heavy criticism from fans for not taking a pay-cut when others did in an attempt to keep Lionel Messi at the club. Barcelona fans even roundly booed him during a pre-season friendly after Messi had completed his transfer to Paris Saint-Germain.
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Amazingly, Umtiti will still have four years to run on his contract at the end of the season but with Barcelona actively looking to sell he is unlikely to command a large fee and the Daily Star report that the Spanish club hope Mikel Arteta will reignite his interest in the summer transfer window.
While Umtiti's reputation took a blow over the past year, he is still highly rated by many at the club, including legendary defender Gerard Pique, who leapt to his defence last year.
"Samuel Umtiti is fulfilling his obligations, his attitude is impeccable," Pique told a press conference back in September 2021. "He has never missed a training session. Another thing is who gave him the contract; a president who was voted by the members. Why do we boo him? People need to be more empathetic."
