La Liga giants Barcelona have set their sights on Toulouse FC defender Issa Diop as a possible replacement for Manchester United target Samuel Umtiti.
According to a report in Spanish publication Don Balon, the Catalan side are considering making a summer move for the 21-year-old and see him as a potential replacement for Samuel Umtiti, who is yet to agree to terms of a contract extension with the club.
Umtiti has been heavily linked with a move away from the Nou Camp this season amidst reports of Barcelona not agreeing to his demand for an increase in wages, and earlier this week it was reported that Manchester United had made a €9 million-a-year offer for the Frenchman.
Should the former Lyon centre-back depart to Manchester United or anywhere else in the summer, Barcelona are reportedly considering Issa Diop as a possible replacement for his compatriot.
Barcelona add Issa Diop to shortlist of centre-back targets https://t.co/g9EUhIkbcp pic.twitter.com/hz8rjqR1Xx
— Everything Barca (@BarcaOnFS) March 30, 2018
Barcelona are in very real danger of losing out on Umtiti and have been looking at other center backs to replace him, RB Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano being one of them. The report states that Valverde hasn’t been impressed by Yerry Mina so far and thinks that they need a new centerback for next season and Diop meets all the requirements.
Diop is a centerback in the same mould as Umtiti. Tall, strong and quick both with and without the ball. The youngster has emerged as one of the finest young defenders in Europe and one of the best in the Ligue 1 over the course of the past 2 seasons.
Since making his debut for Toulouse back in the 2015/16 season, he has made 85 appearances for his boyhood club and is now captain of his side. He would add just the right amount of quality of youth and experience to Barcelona. Expected to cost around €25 million, he can easily be afforded by any top European side.
However, Barcelona making a move for him completely depends on whether Samuel Umtiti extends his contract with the club. Should he depart, it will be interesting to see whether Barcelona do move for Diop.
