Juventus are expected to sign Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti if they miss out on Ajax wonderkid Matthijs de Ligt, claims AS.
De Ligt will leave Ajax at the end of the season and is expected to join one of Bayern Munich or Barcelona.
The Spanish side have already wrapped up a deal to sign Ajax midfielder Frenkie de Jong and now want his team-mate as well.
Barcelona will be forced to cash in on Umtiti in order to facilitate a move for De Ligt and are confident of selling the 2018 World Cup winner to one of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Manchester United have already been linked with the 25-year-old but Juventus are in pole position if they cannot beat Barcelona to De Ligt’s signature.
Juventus veteran Andrea Barzagli has announced he will retire at the end of the season and the Old Lady want to replace him.
As Giorgio Chiellini turns 35 at the start of next season, Juventus also have an eye on the future of their defence.
Umtiti has struggled for form and fitness this season after missing a sizeable chunk of the campaign with a knee injury.
His prolonged spell on the sidelines has enabled Clement Lenglet to leapfrog him in the pecking order for places at Barcelona.
Of players to have started at least 10 league games this season, Umtiti has the best pass success rate in La Liga (95.4%).
