Barcelona reportedly value Samuel Umtiti at €30m in Lautaro deal

Photo by Diego Souto/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images

How the mighty have fallen?

Barcelona are offering Samuel Umtiti to Inter Milan at a discount price in order to facilitate the deal for Lautaro Martinez:, according to a new report.

The Catalans are valuing the French defender at €30 million, a bargain for a 26-year-old FIFA World Cup winning defender, albeit one that has had a very troubled injury history since. This would go towards lowering the fee Barcelona would pay Inter Milan for Lautaro.

When Barcelona bought him as a relatively obscure player from Lyon four years ago, he cost €25 million. Surely, the injury history, and the coronavirus market effect, have changed his valuation, but it’s amazing to think he only appreciated 5 million in that time.

Inter are said to like the player, although they don’t see an immediate need for a new defender. However, Diego Godín is 34, so a replacement will be needed soon. One potential stumbling block is Umtiti’s extremely high salary, but that is precisely one reason why the Catalans want to move him on.

The report says “Big Sam” hasn’t gotten any proposals from Milan, but Barça have let him know they will listen to offers for him. The defender wants to remain at the Camp Nou, but he isn’t entirely against leaving, either, although it is said he would prefer to move to the Premier League (with Arsenal and Manchester United on alert) than Serie A.

The player himself surely, then, wants to get back to playing in order to convince the team he is a piece worth keeping.

Source: barcablaugranes.com