Barcelona hopeful about offloading injury-prone defender in the last week of window | OneFootball

Samuel Umtiti knows his relationship with Barcelona is running its course. At the same time, however, it can’t be made possible on paper until the departure is made official before the transfer window slams shut.

Now, both parties, including the player’s camp and the club, are working on finding the best possible solution, but Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo says the lack of suitors is stalling every attempt.

Umtiti’s ongoing deal with Barcelona runs until 2026 and while there were earlier reports of interest from the likes of Olympique Lyonnais and Olympiacos, neither team came up with concrete offers for Barcelona to even ponder.

Umtiti has been on market for over a year, but Barcelona have been unable to overlook his injury record, which has been a primary reason why suitors have stayed away from the Frenchman.

As reported before, Umtiti tried to re-join his former employer Olympique Lyonnais this summer, but the team from France’s Ligue 1 decided to explore other options instead.

For now, the defender knows he can be at the top of his game and all that he needs is the competitive edge, something that Barcelona just cannot award given the competition they have in this area.

In that regard, they have as many as five central defenders in Gerard Pique, Ronald Araujo, Andreas Christensen, Eric Garica and Jules Kounde.

For this reason, everyone involved is hoping to find a quick resolution as Umtiti has been very professional throughout his tenure. To begin with, renewed his deal back in January which reduced his annual wages by 10%.

All this was done so that Barcelona could register the January signings Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ferran Torres. And now that team is facing similar challenges with regards to Jules Kounde, Barcelona are doing everything in their power to find Umtiti a new team.