Barcelona are reportedly planning to move on from Samuel Umtiti as an exit from the Nou Camp has been touted for the Frenchman this summer.
While the Champions League is still up for grabs for the Catalan giants, it has been a disappointing campaign for them domestically after they fell short in the La Liga title race.
In turn, that could potentially spark important changes to the squad this summer in order to ensure that coach Quique Setien can make them as competitive as possible next season, and it could start with an exit in defence.
Barcelona conceded 38 goals in their 38 league games this past campaign, giving them the worst defensive record of the top four sides in the standings, while that was 13 more than champions Real Madrid.
With that in mind, that would suggest that it is certainly an area in which they can improve.
According to Sport, they have informed Umtiti that he will not be part of their plans next season and so a possible switch to Napoli is touted as an option for him to move on and perhaps secure a more prominent role elsewhere.
It’s added that Barcelona would then focus on Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet continuing as their first-choice centre-half pairing, while youngster Ronald Araujo would then have room to develop and become their primary back-up option.
Further, Man City ace Eric Garcia is said to be a transfer target for the Catalan giants, and so time will tell if they can prise him back to the Nou Camp after his previous spell at the club.
It’s an intriguing scenario and it remains to be seen if the pieces fall into place for Barcelona this summer, but given their disappointment so far this season, it’s surely to be expected that they’ll assess their options and make changes where necessary to ensure that they don’t fall short again next year.