In the not too distant past, Barcelona defender, Samuel Umtiti, would’ve been one of the first names down on the team sheet.
However, after taking a more holistic route to deal with a knee injury, rather than undergoing surgery which was the club’s preference, things have got steadily worse for the Frenchman. So much so that he is no longer in Barca’s plans.
The problem for the Catalans is that Umtiti just doesn’t want to leave, and that could end up causing serious problems down the line for new president, Joan Laporta.
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According to Mundo Deportivo cited by Football Espana, Sergio Aguero may not be able to be registered if either Umtiti or Miralem Pjanic don’t leave in the current window.
Gerard Pique already agreed to a substantial wage cut in order that other players got registered in time for Barca’s 4-2 opening day win over Real Sociedad.
If the club can help it, they’ll not want to have to ask too many more players to follow Pique’s lead, but much will depend on whether Umtiti softens his attitude or not.