Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal could hit a brick wall as they look to bring Barcelona’s La Liga winner Samuel Umtiti to the Premier League – he’d prefer Chelsea.
Samuel Umtiti would prefer to join Chelsea over London rivals Arsenal, according to The Mirror (1 April, page 48) with the Barcelona defender seemingly heading for the Camp Nou exit door.
Just two years after a former Lyon powerhouse lifted the World Cup trophy into the Moscow sky, Umtiti finds himself out of favour and, apparently, out of time in Catalonia.
A series of injuries have forced the France international down the pecking order and, with Clement Lenglet established firmly as Gerard Pique’s first-choice centre-half partner these days, it seems that a summer exit is the only option.
Arsenal have been linked ever since Unai Emery’s second summer in charge and, according to Sport, the Spaniard’s successor Mikel Arteta agrees that a defender with vast experience and a silver-coated CV would be a fine addition to a rather fallow Arsenal dressing room.
But, according to The Mirror, the £45 million-rated Umtiti would prefer to wear the blue of Chelsea than the red of the Gunners. His representatives have already made contact with the Blues to make sure they know of his interest in playing at Stamford Bridge.
There remains a very real chance that Umtiti ends up at neither club, however.
Chelsea have made the younger, fitter and cheaper Gabriel Magalhaes of Lille their top defensive target and, as for Arsenal, well you’d imagine that £45 million would be a little too costly – unless they cash in on the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang that is.
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