Report: Tottenham receive boost in pursuit of Barcelona man as rivals pull out of race

Tottenham may have just received a boost in their reported pursuit of Samuel Umtiti as sources from Italy indicate that Inter Milan will not be signing the Barcelona defender this summer.

With Jan Vertonghen’s contract running out next month, Tottenham are expected to be in the market for a left-sided centre-back this summer (Sky Sports).

Spurs have been linked with a move for Umtiti since the January transfer window (Eldesmarque) but the centre-back is also said to be interesting Arsenal (AS).

Sport reported this week that Barcelona had slashed the French international’s price to just €30 million as they were keen to raise funds for their summer targets.

While Tottenham were named as one of the suitors for the defender’s signature, the report claimed that Barcelona could offer the 26-year-old to Inter Milan in order to push through a deal for Lautaro Martinez.

However, Calciomercato now reports that Inter have made it clear to the Catalan giants that they are not interested in signing Umtiti on a permanent deal.

Antonio Conte’s side are said to be looking at taking the centre half on loan but that proposition is not of interest to Barcelona, who are looking to move Umtiti on permanently.

Spurs Web Opinion

There are no question marks over Umtit’s quality or his ability to shine in the Premier League. At his best, he will be an upgrade over the current options we have at centre-back. However, there are major question marks over whether he can reach his best given the injury problems he has suffered over the last few years.

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