Arsenal have been linked with signing the big France international.
With no football on at the moment, the rumour mill is already churning out nuggets for the summer and Arsenal are being linked with players.
According to Spain-based outlet Sport, Arsenal are interested in signing Barcelona centre-back Samuel Umtiti.
The Gunners need a reliable centre-back partner for North London-bound William Saliba during the 2020-21 campaign and beyond.
And it looks like Mikel Arteta and the club’s hierarchy are looking at the World Cup-winning France defender, if the rumour is true.
Even the most honest Arsenal fan wouldn’t deny that going from Camp Nou to the Emirates is a downgrade in terms of career.
The 26-year-old hasn’t been a first-team regular in recent seasons with Barcelona, but a certain Lionel Messi is a fan.
Two years ago, Messi told the January 2018 edition of World Soccer: “[Umtiti] trains in the same way he plays. He doesn’t leave anything in reserve; he’s an excellent person away from the pitch as well. Seeing how he trains, I’m not surprised at what he does in matches, I see all his qualities.”
Considering Messi has been training with him almost every day for the guts of four years – and 18 months at the point of making those comments – it’s same to assume that the Argentine is qualified to speak about Umtiti’s qualities.
Of course, Arsenal are hardly going to sign him on the back of Messi’s comments, but if he conducts himself well against arguably the game’s best-ever player behind the scenes then maybe the elite Premier League players in England wouldn’t intimidate him.
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