Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti snubbed Arsenal switch
Samuel Umtiti turned down a January move to Arsenal, electing to stay and fight for his place at Barcelona despite the Catalans being willing to sell the centre-back.
The Gunners were desperate to reinforce their defence during the window as shaky performances and injuries to Skhodran Mustafi and Calum Chambers continued to dent their top-four hopes.
The Frenchman was spotted at the Emirates watching Arsenal’s clash with Manchester United during the La Liga winter break, leading to speculation he could be interested in a move to North London.
Umtiti had also found himself behind preferred centre-back pairing of Clement Lenglet and Gerard Pique in the Barca pecking order, only featuring in five league game before the New Year.
Despite these factors, the World Cup winner rejected the Gunners approach, even with Barca being open to a sale at the right price, according to Le Parisien.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was himself pushing for the centre-back’s signature, but missed out on what would have been a sensational addition.
Samuel Umtiti REJECTED Arsenal move, choosing to stay with Barcelona 'despite … #AFC https://t.co/Nxv2qaAc7U pic.twitter.com/cGf6AosDAH
— Arsenal Report (@Arsenal_Fanly) February 1, 2020
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Umtiti has since worked his way back into the starting line-up in Spain, starting Barca’s last two matches under new boss Quique Setien.
Arsenal did manage to strengthen at the back in January, bringing in Pablo Mari and Cedric Soares to help them fight back into the top-four race.