Umtiti wants Barcelona stay despite potential De Ligt arrival

Samuel Umtiti wants to stay at Barcelona despite the fact the Spanish side are pursuing Ajax captain Matthijs de Ligt, claims The Daily Mail.

Barcelona are the frontrunners to sign De Ligt and the 19-year-old’s arrival would only restrict Umtiti’s first-team opportunities next season.

Umtiti struggled with injuries last season and even dropped below Clement Lenglet in the pecking order for places.

Barcelona will be required to sell some high profile names this summer if they want to sign De Ligt and Antoine Griezmann, having already spent £65m on Frankie de Jong.

Umtiti was one of the players expected to leave Barcelona in order for the Spanish champions to balance their books but the France international has told the club he doesn’t want to go.

Despite the prospect of being fourth choice centre-back at Barcelona, the 25-year-old, who has been linked to Arsenal, is prepared to fight for his place.

Umtiti managed just 14 league appearances last season and finished the campaign with the best pass success rate (5+ apps) in LaLiga (94.5%).