Arsenal are reportedly in a position to make a €50m offer for Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti in a bid to shore up their porous backline.
The Gunners conceded 51 goals in 38 Premier League games last season as they had the second worst defensive record of the top nine sides in the standings.
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With that in mind, Unai Emery will surely be desperate to strengthen that area of his squad, and as reported by Calciomercato, via the Mirror, it’s suggested that Arsenal are ready to launch a €50m offer for Umtiti amid question marks over the Frenchman’s place in the Barcelona starting line-up moving forward.
The 25-year-old was limited to just 15 appearances for the Catalan giants last season, as a troublesome knee injury kept him out of action which in turn allowed Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet to form a new partnership in the heart of the Barcelona defence.
In turn, that could give Arsenal an opening to try and prise him away from the Nou Camp this summer to solve a glaring flaw in their current squad.
Umtiti boasts experience at the highest level for both club and country having won domestic honours with Barca as well as the World Cup with France last year, and so the quality that he brings to the table will surely make a huge difference for Arsenal should they reach an agreement.
It’s quite the surprise though, as the Mirror have previously reported that Emery will only have around £40m to spend this summer after they missed out on the Champions League for a third consecutive campaign.
However, whether there has been an adjustment to the budget or perhaps it’s with player sales in mind, Arsenal are linked with Umtiti and a possible swoop could be forthcoming to see if they can indeed prise him away from Spain.
