Arsenal ‘Offered The Chance’ To Snap Up French World Cup Winner After Coming ‘Close To Signing Him’ In January

Arsenal ‘Offered The Chance’ To Snap Up French World Cup Winner After Coming ‘Close To Signing Him’ In January

Arsenal have been “offered the chance” to sign Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti once again, according to the Daily Star.

The English tabloid claims that the Gunners were actually “close to signing him” on loan back in the January transfer window, only for a toe injury to scupper the move.


Umtiti is not part of Barca’s future plans, with the club likely to sign Chelsea duo Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta this summer.

The Gunners, meanwhile, are pretty short of options at the back, having allowed a number of defenders to leave the Emirates over the past year.

While William Saliba is expected to return from his loan spell at Marseille, the Daily Star say there are still no guarantees that the 21-year-old will remain with Arsenal. In contrast, the London club are said to be ” willing” to make another move for Umtiti, who was a crucial part of France’s World Cup win back in 2018. Whether that actually happens, it remains to be seen.

David Tully

David Tully

David has worked as a football reporter for the last fifteen years. Having started as an intern at Snack Media, he then went on to become a freelancer, working on various different sites. At the start of 2023, he took up his current role as content writer for National World's Football News Network.