Both players, not counting for Xavi, were on the starting ramp and their destination clubs have withdrawn
Samuel Umtiti and Riqui Puig are a problem for Barca for another summer. The French centre-back and the culé youth squad started out as two pre-season dropouts from Xavi Hernández, looking for a way out, but in both cases the options grew with the passage of time. Rennes and Porto, the two destinations that seemed clearer, have withdrawn and ruled out two purchases.
“Umtiti’s transfer folder is on hold and we are now working on other solutions,” Florian Maurice assured this week. The words of the sports director of Rennes have been like a pitcher of cold water in the offices of Barcelona. The French team was the great hope for the Catalans to find a solution this time so that Umtiti would not lose market value for another year. The ex-Lyon player was one of the central defenders the Reds considered to strengthen the defense in the form of a transfer, an operation that, given the impossibility of making a sale due to the high salary of the player, was to the liking of the Barça board.
The whole operation has been lost and the reason could be the mistrust of Rennes coach Bruno Genesio. The technician, who already coincided with Umtiti at Lyon when he was second deputy, has no confidence in the central defender’s physical condition and has made this known to team management. “We may not agree on certain things. We’ve known each other long enough to be able to exchange thoughts calmly,” Florian Maurice acknowledged when asked about that discrepancy regarding the signing of the culé footballer.
The operation with Rennes was an exit that they already considered practically closed in Barcelona. Negotiations between the two clubs had progressed to the point where the footballer himself had already traveled to France to negotiate an agreement that was nearing completion pending signature. The Catalans are now looking for a destination for Umtiti for the third consecutive summer. In 2020, the centre-back had agreed his march to Rome between the two entities, but the footballer flatly refused to leave the club, while in 2021 he maintained that position to the point that he agreed with the club an extension in which he would cut his 10 % and divide the more than 22 million euros that could still be received over four years. The Umtiti soap opera continues and is already in season 3.
Another issue on track to settle in Barcelona this summer is the departure of Riqui Puig. The youth squad had accepted this summer that he would leave the culé club, but found one refusal after another from the teams that could be on the radar of its representative, Arturo Canales. Matadepera’s midfielder found himself as soon as the market started with the refusal of Benfica, who is led by Roger Schmidt, a coach who already wanted him for PSV Eindhoven, then with the no from Fiorentina and finally with the farewell to Porto. The Portuguese has ultimately been ruled out of his contract, according to media outlet ‘A Bola’, as he is not the player profile that Sérgio Conceição needs for his selection.
All of these traffic jams have resulted in Xavi ending up with more players in the preseason than he had planned. Umtiti and Riqui Puig have no offers, but neither does scar Mingueza, whose main lover was a Monza who is unwilling to pay the five million euros that Barcelona are demanding. There are also currently no solutions for Pjanic and Braithwaite, two footballers who also do not count for Tarrasa’s coach but who already made it clear during the summer that they remain steadfast in their decision to fulfill their contract as Blaugranas.
Source: La Verdad
I’m an experienced news author and editor based in New York City. I specialize in covering healthcare news stories for Today Times Live, helping to keep readers informed on the latest developments related to the industry. I have a deep understanding of medical topics, including emerging treatments and drugs, the changing laws that regulate healthcare providers, and other matters that affect public health.
