Man Utd edge closer to 1st summer signing

Manchester United are expected to be busy once again in this summer’s transfer window as Jose Mourinho looks to strengthen his squad in a bid to challenge for next season’s Premier League and Champions League trophies.

One position we’re likely to upgrade at is centre-back.  The boss tried to do so last summer with the signing of Victor Lindelof from Benfica but the Swede has failed to settle in at Old Trafford.  Neither Phil Jones nor Chris Smalling are expected to be the long-term partner for Eric Bailly.

We have been strongly linked with the signing of Barcelona centre-back Samuel Umtiti, and the more reports you read, the more it sounds like we’re going to acquire him this summer.

The latest report comes from Italian website Calciomercato (via the Daily Mirror) that reports we are nearing a deal from the 24-year-old.  The article states that Umtiti hasn’t indicated to Barcelona what his future plans are after stalling over a new contract.

Calciomercato goes on to say that Jose Mourinho is a big admirer of the French international.  Samuel Umtiti has a £52 million buy-out clause in his contract, which in today’s market isn’t a big deal, and certainly won’t break our bank.

However, Umtiti has been a regular in Ernesto Valverde’s Barcelona defence this season, so whether he’d want to jump ship from the regular La Liga winners and Champions League contenders, remains to be seen.  There is no doubt he’d be an excellent signing if he joined Manchester United this summer.