Woodward the key as Man Utd open talks over £53.7m Barcelona star

Manchester United have reportedly opened talks with Barcelona over a deal to sign out-of-favour defender Samuel Umtiti in a potential £53.7m deal.

United are in the hunt to sign a new centre-half this summer, but have so far drawn a blank with a string of high-profile targets turning them down, while on Thursday it was reported that they had been priced out of the race to sign Harry Maguire.

However, they could have a little more joy with World Cup winner Umtiti, amid claims Barcelona are willing to cash in on the former Lyon man.

Umtiti has fallen down the pecking order at the Nou Camp, with Ernesto Valverde preferring Clement Lenglet alongside Gerard Pique at the heart of the defence for long periods last season, though injuries did not help Umtiti’s prospects.

Nonetheless, Barca’s willingness to sign another centre-half – they have tried, but most likely failed, in their efforts to bring in Matthijs De Ligt – means Umtiti will likely be allowed to move on if any club meets their asking price of €60m.

Mundo Deportivo claims United have this week made contact with Barca to begin negotiations over a deal for Umtiti.

However, the 25-year-old is seemingly aware of Barca’s intentions to offload him this summer and on Wednesday robustly insisted he wanted to remain with the LaLiga champions.

He told Hypebeast: “The quality of life is great. For me, it’s the best place to play and live.

“The place, the mentality of the people, my team, the players that I meet daily, frankly I could not have dreamt of better.

“Every day I feel happy to live my passion, and what’s more to do that here in Barcelona.”

And with Umtiti’s intentions clear, it will likely be left to executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward – still in charge of transfer dealings at Old Trafford – to convince Umtiti to ditch the Nou Camp in favour of Old Trafford.

Aside from a likely payrise Umtiti can expect at United, Woodward will also hope to sell his vision for United to the World Cup winner and explain how Ole Gunnar Solskjaer intends to turn the club back into title contenders.

One issue that could yet work in United’s favour is Barca’s reported interest in Victor Lindelof.

It was claimed on Wednesday that Valverde wants to add the Swede to his ranks this summer, and while United have so far refused to sanction the potential deal, Mundo suggests a potential swap deal could be arranged between the two parties if the interest persists.

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