Barcelona outcast Samuel Umtiti on AC Milan radar | OneFootball

According to a report published by Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport, Samuel Umtiti is destined to leave Barcelona soon enough, with Serie A leaders AC Milan keeping an eye on the World Cup winner for the January transfer window.

Milan are currently on top of the Italian league table, level on points with city rivals Inter Milan, with a game in hand. The Zlatan Ibrahimovic-led outfit have gone through a resurrection under the management of Stefano Pioli and are en-route their first Scudetto win for a decade.

That said, Milan are a little short-handed on the defensive end, with recurrent injuries to the centre-backs, coupled with inexperience of Pierre Kalulu. Umtiti, who is about to touch his theoretical peak, is one of the players on their radar, with his massive €6 million salary the only hinderance in the transfer.

The Rossoneri, however, have picked Chelsea’s defensive outcast Fikayo Tomori as their primary target for this winter, approaching him on loan, as confirmed by Fabrizio Romano. Milan might still continue their pursuit of the Frenchman in the hope of signing him on loan for the remainder of the season, though.

Umtiti has participated in four games this season in all competitions, with three of those coming in the league. His only start has come on the back of a last-minute injury to Ronald Araujo before the game against Granada, where he displayed a very high level of competence, helping the Blaugranas keep a clean sheet.

Barcelona should think twice before letting go of one of their centre-backs in the winter, especially given the injury-riddled season the players in that position have gone through. Gerard Pique is still sidelined for more than a month, while Araujo has been on the end of multiple knocks. On the other hand, one might deem Oscar Mingueza too inexperienced, while Clement Lenglet is continuously underperforming. Umtiti, while a shadow of his former self, can still do a job at the back, as he proved against Granada.