Juventus are considering the transfer of Barcelona centre-back Samuel Umtiti this summer in a bid to bolster their defensive options.
According to Don Balon, Cristiano Ronaldo has made it clear to Juve that he wanted a signing of this type brought in at the back, and this has led to the Italian giants chasing the potential £70million deal.
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Umtiti has shone at Barcelona but now faces being replaced at the Nou Camp by Matthijs de Ligt, with ESPN previously reporting that that transfer looked close to going through.
This could lead to the France international moving on, and he’s also been linked with Arsenal this summer by the Daily Mail.
Still, Umtiti perhaps looks a little out of the Gunners’ price range if Don Balon’s report is to be believed, with Juventus likely to be able to afford to spend more on players in this transfer window.
Ronaldo was a real statement signing by Juventus last season and it now looks like he could play a big role in helping the club recruit further big signings.
This is a blow for Arsenal, however, who could really have done with a defender of Umtiti’s calibre to replace flops like Shkodran Mustafi at the back.