SAMUEL UMTITI, WHO has been heavily linked with Manchester United, has claimed that Barcelona will have to “throw me out the door” in order for a summer switch to be made.
The France international defender has a €60 million release clause in his contract which is proving enticing to clubs outside of Camp Nou.
Those in Catalunya are eager to raise that asking price by agreeing fresh terms, but no agreement has been reached as yet and transfer talk is rumbling on towards the summer window.
Umtiti has offered no indication that he will be looking for a move, having previously stated his “love” for Barca, and has now suggested that he will only leave if deemed surplus to requirements.
The 24-year-old told L’Equipe: “I’m at a club that allowed me to realise my dream of playing there.
“I’m still under contract at the moment. So for me to leave, either they throw me out the door or I decide to leave.”
Umtiti’s current contract is due to run until 2021.
Talks regarding a new deal are set to continue in Catalunya, but for now attention is turning towards World Cup matters.
France are among the favourites to go all the way in Russia, with Umtiti set to partner Real Madrid rival Raphael Varane at the heart of Didier Deschamps’ back four.
Despite domestic differences between that pair, Umtiti is confident that their partnership can prosper.
He added: “We know that our job will be very important.
“During the last meetings, we were able to get a run of matches together – whereas we rarely played together before that.
“It’s about finding automatic reflexes in central defence, because sometimes you don’t have the time to talk to each other and to know how the other plays or perceives certain situations. You need games and dialogue.
“Raphael is someone who’s very intelligent. He plays for one of the biggest clubs in the world. So I don’t think we’ll have any problems in finding a way of complementing each other.”
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