Barcelona outcast has no place in squad as Xavi decides to offload him: Reports
Barcelona manager Xavi has reportedly decided that he will not let Samuel Umtiti play another match for the club. He does not want the Frenchman to join the squad again and wants him sold.
The Frenchman is on loan at Lecce this season and has regained his form. However, the defender has no future at the Camp Nou as Xavi does not think the squad would improve with the loanee returning.
As per a report in El Nacional, Barcelona do have offers on the table for Umtiti and they are ready to sell. West Ham United, Everton, Fiorentina and Inter Milan are reportedly interested in the Frenchman.
The Catalan side will be delighted with the interest as the defender's contract has another three seasons left. They also need to raise money to get in line with the LaLiga wage limit to sign new players and register the new contracts of Gavi and Ronald Araujo.
Samuel Umtiti on leaving Barcelona and the need for a change
Samuel Umtiti spoke to the media earlier this season and claimed that he needed a change after getting no game time at Barcelona. The club tried to terminate the contract of the Frenchman but he reportedly refused to leave.
He was quoted by Marca saying:
"After the Barcelona experience I needed peace and quiet. Lecce is the best solution because it is also an ideal city to live in; here are the ideal conditions to start again. During the summer there were other contacts, but today I feel that I can confirm this choice."
He added:
"I arrived in Lecce with the mentality of facing different challenges every day. In Barcelona, I had a lot, just as I had the opportunity to play with great champions. Unfortunately, some physical problems forced me to start from scratch. It's not easy to come back, but I chose to rewrite my career with Lecce and the first step is to try to save ourselves."
Umtiti continued:
"I felt wonderful emotions, I'm proud of the game I played... after so many months in which I worked hard to get back up to par with my teammates. At this time in my life it is important to play again, to feel valued and important in this team and to achieve my goal with Lecce. World Cup? With the national team I have written beautiful pages of my career, but for now I only think of Lecce and to do well in this shirt."
Umtiti has played 19 matches in Serie A this season and has stayed injury free most of the season. He did miss four games for the Italian side, but only one was due to a hamstring issue.