Barcelona defender Umtiti bemused by Arsenal and Neymar transfer rumours

Samuel Umtiti laughed off rumours raising him as a makeweight in a potential Barcelona deal for Neymar as he rejected reports linking him to Arsenal.

The France international’s future at Camp Nou came into question following an injury hit 2018-19 season in which he managed 14 LaLiga appearances.

With Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet established at centre-back, Barca reportedly considered bundling 25-year-old Umtiti into negotiations for former player and Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar.

The purported offer would also have seen at least two of Philippe Coutinho, now at Bayern Munich on a season-long loan, Ousmane Dembele and Ivan Rakitic head to Parc des Princes.

“Me? Currency in an exchange? It’s crazy,” Umtiti told Canal+.

“That made me laugh. I do not even have an answer to that.”

The transfer window ended on September 2 with Neymar and Umtiti still at their respective clubs following months of speculation.

Arsenal and Manchester United, along with PSG, were mentioned as alternative destinations for the defender had he been eager to explore his options after three seasons at Barca.

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— Samuel Umtiti (@samumtiti) August 28, 2019

Umtiti denied ever being interested in a move elsewhere, claiming the Arsenal link came as a surprise.

“I do not know where this rumour came from,” the World Cup winner said.

“Overnight I started receiving messages from my friends… but sorry, for me Barcelona is Barcelona.

“I had discussions with my agent to tell him that whatever was happening he did not even need to talk to me about it.

“My goal since I was a kid was to play for Barcelona. I came here to last and to win titles.”

Umtiti left France’s camp over the weekend after suffering a foot injury prior to the Euro 2020 qualifying victory over Albania.

It is the latest in a series of setbacks which led him to Qatar in November in search of a solution to ongoing knee discomfort.

“I really forced my knee during the World Cup,” he admitted. “But I’m world champion. In life you have to make choices and I do not regret that choice.”