According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, out-of-favour Barcelona star Samuel Umtiti intends to stay at the Camp Nou despite the transfer rumblings and the club’s search for an alternative.
Umtiti was sidelined until December with a knee injury but has only made 16 appearances since his return, with the Frenchman starting on just half of these occasions.
Mundo Deportivo report that Umtiti is not considering a departure from Barcelona at all, the centre-back remains firmly fixed on next season and intends to stay at the club.
It’s added that Umtiti is contracted until 2023, with no offers to leave on the table right now and the 27-year-old is not looking for anything of the kind either.
It’s detailed that the club are aware of Umtiti’s stance, it will be interesting to see what they make of it, the side are cash-strapped as it is and can’t afford to carry an injury-prone player whilst they’ve already seemingly decided to rebuild their defence in another direction.
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On the other hand, some would argue that Umtiti deserves a second chance after being plagued by injury troubles, the star was considered one of the best defenders in the world until the setbacks hit.
Mundo Deportivo claim that Umtiti feels as though he’s getting back to his best right now. It’s not as though the ace hasn’t made sacrifices to try and overcome the injury troubles.
Umtiti went vegan in a desperate attempt to improve his fitness, with Mundo Deportivo adding that this helped the defender lose around three our four kilograms and importantly relieves the pressure on his knees.