Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti is reportedly being made available for transfer in the summer window.
According to Spanish publication Sport, as sourced by the Sun, the Catalan giants are keen to raise funds to strengthen in other areas and see the French international as surplus to requirements at the Nou Camp.
This is said to have put the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea on alert with Barca ready to part ways with the centre-back for around £35m.
The 26-year-old has a fantastic record of winning silverware, helping his side complete two Spanish league and cup doubles since arriving from Lyon in 2016.
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He was also part of the French squad that lifted the World Cup in Russia in 2018.
The fact that the talented, ball playing left-footed centre-back is seemingly pretty accessible this summer makes him a potentially tempting option for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at United.
But we feel this is a transfer that the Norwegian must avoid in order to pursue other key areas.
Central defence is not a position that desperately needs addressing at Old Trafford. The Reds have conceded just two goals in the last 11 and a promising partnership is developing between captain Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof.
And rather than signing a player of Umtiti’s pedigree, United should promote from within and give Axel Tuanzebe more opportunities if he can stay fit.
Tuanzebe has shown huge promise in the first-team already and Solskjaer has already identified the 22-year-old as a future leader at Old Trafford.
Umtiti, meanwhile, has had to settle for limited game time this season for a combination for reasons. He has fallen behind Clement Lenglet and Gerard Pique in Quique Setién’s preferred central defensive pairing.
But another red flag for Solskjaer is his troubling injury record. Umtiti has struggled with a knee-injury for a couple of seasons now which has halted his progress.
United already have an injury prone centre-back in Eric Bailly and Umtiti is a risk that is simply not worth taking.
Solskjaer should instead focus his attention on signing a natural right-winger, ideally Jadon Sancho, and a centre forward such as Lyon’s Moussa Dembele with his summer budget.
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