Barcelona are concerned they might not be able to get their asking price for Samuel Umtiti in the summer transfer window and the Catalan giants are relying on a bidding war between Manchester United , Chelsea and Arsenal to up his price. All three clubs have already contacted Barca to make their interest known.
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Barca are looking to sell players at the end of the season to fund the club's transfer plans and Umtiti is one of several players who has been identified as expendable.
The 26-year-old is an accomplished centre-back and has showcased his talents for Barcelona since he joined from Lyon for £24.6million back in 2016.
However, injuries have plagued his time at the Nou Camp, with the defender having only made 114 appearances, and it appears Barca are now willing to move him one.
According to Spanish publication Sport , Barca are seeking £43m (€50m) for the World Cup winner.
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Barcelona news: Samuel Umtiti is wanted by Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal (Image: PA)
However, while there are concerns at the club that their asking price might not be reached they are hopeful interest from United, Chelsea and Arsenal mean they may get close to this price.
The report claims all three Premier League teams are looking for a left-footed centre-back and Barca know there are currently not too many options on the market to fill this role.
However, the report also claims that no club has yet made an official approach for Umtiti.
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The Catalan club have also not ruled out the prospect of including Umtiti in a swap deal with Paris Saint-Germain to sign Neymar.
Barca know PSG are demanding a high price for the player they sold to the Ligue 1 club in a record-breaking £200m (€222m) deal in 2017.
And while PSG have previously refused Barca's offers of a player-plus-cash swap deal in the past, they are expected to try the same approach again in the summer.
Neymar hasn’t hidden his desire to leave the French club, despite still having two years left on his current contract.
However, the PSG are not willing to begin talks at the moment as they looking to deal with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the club's finances.
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PSG are also having to manage up to 11 players coming to the end of their contracts with the club.
Barcelone have also had to make drastic changes due to the coronavirus' impact on its bank balance and at the end of last month announced players will take a 70 per cent pay cut.
Messi said the move was delayed as the players were "looking for a formula to help the club" but that they were "always here to help the club when they ask."
Barcelona's board of directors also agreed to reduce their salaries.
