£50m-rated Defender Shuns Arsenal Interest

Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti has turned down interest from North London giants Arsenal who are in the market for a new central defender.

According to Marca via Goal, French international Umtiti is ready to shun all external advances in favour of staying with the Spanish champions.

£50m-rated Umtiti has battled with injury problems for the better part of the last year and that has seen him lose his spot in the Barcelona starting XI to compatriot Christian Lenglet.

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The French World Cup winner was the first choice centre back last season alongside Barcelona icon Gerard Pique as the Nou Camp giants secured both the La Liga title and the Spanish Copa Del Rey title.

Samuel Umtiti then went on to win the 2018 FIFA World Cup tournament in Russia with the French national team last summer but he has not been able to maintain that form mainly due to injury problems.

Arsenal made him their top defensive target for this summer but the player is only interested in seeing out the four years left on his Barcelona contract.

The Gunners will have to move to other defensive targets in their bid to sort out their poor defensive run during the just concluded Premier League campaign.