Umtiti deal ON HOLD as Stade Rennes concerned over INJURIES

Umtiti deal ON HOLD as Stade Rennes concerned over INJURIES

The French centreback had everything ready for a move, but Rennes have backed out for now

Lunes 11 Jul 2022

 Some players seem simply cursed when it comes to injuries. At times, it's pretty much one of the things that define their careers, like it happened with the likes of Jack Wilshere or Marco Reus. For others, it can bring problems even when they're fit, and that seems to be the problem for Samuel Umtiti.

Samuel Umtiti refused to operate on his knee after the 2018 World Cup and has struggled ever since

Samuel Umtiti refused to operate on his knee after the 2018 World Cup and has struggled ever since

The French defender has had a career of light and shadows at Barcelona, where he mixed excellent performances with terrible fitness that never really allowed him to show all he could do with the Blaugrana shirt. Now, the club is working to move him away, in what could be a new opportunity for him in France at Stade de Rennes. But his old fitness problems could be once again a problem.

"[Umtiti] is a player that I like a lot. Then, we are also in the club with a system in which we do not always agree on the options, we need a consensus. There are doubts about his physical condition, so I understand that it could be something for the club to slow down the process", explained Bruno Genesio, the Stade de Rennes manager recently.

Now, Florian Maurice, the club's sporting director also put the move in the ice bucket: "There is no disagreement between Bruno [Genesio] and myself. We may not agree on certain issues, but the exchange has always been the same. We have known each other for a long time to be able to exchange points of view calmly. This issue is on hold, but we are working on other solutions at the moment". 

Barcelona will now have to find a new destination for Umtiti for the third time, after a move to Roma collapsed two years ago

Barcelona will now have to find a new destination for Umtiti for the third time, after a move to Roma collapsed two years ago

The issue on hold is the signing of Umtiti, and the other solutions are different potential targets the club is working on, with sources pointing at Benfica's Morato. While Samuel Umititi has joined now the rest of the Barcelona squad for training, it could be his options for a move this summer are growing thin.

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