Juventus to enter Umtiti race

Juventus are interested in signing Samuel Umtiti from Barcelona, according to Rai Sport.

The France international has had a season riddled with injuries, and as a consequence, he has lost his place in the starting XI under head coach Ernesto Valverde. Clement Lenglet has made the most of the opportunity he was unexpectedly given alongside Gerard Pique. The club have added Jean-Clair Todibo from Toulouse to the centre-back department in January, and are reportedly set to clinch a deal for the much coveted Matthijs de Ligt of Ajax as well. In such circumstances, Umtiti, who brought notable stability to Barca’s back line upon his arrival, has become surplus to requirements.

Arsenal are said to be interested in adding the 25-year-old to their defensive ranks with captain Laurent Koscielny turning 34 later this year and Shkodran Mustafi continuously failing to impress since the arrival of Unai Emery to the dugout.

However, the Old Lady throwing their hat into the mix will certainly make it harder for the Gunners to work out a deal.