Ancelotti looking to raid Spain again with Umtiti swoop, but could it happen?

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 19 May 2021 15:43 BST
• 4 min read

Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti is looking to the Clasico teams again to potentially pick up an unwanted star, with Samuel Umtiti of Barcelona the object of his interest now.

During the summer the Italian was able to convince James Rodriguez to make the move to Goodison Park, with the pair having successfully worked together at Real Madrid in the past. The Toffees have, also, been linked with a move for Isco.

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Spanish outlet Sport now mentions Umtiti as a target.

The Frenchman hasn’t played for Barcelona this season, having last featured for the club in a 2-2 draw with Celta in June. He is back in training, but is yet to fully recover from a knee injury suffered in the summer.

The current injury issue is the latest in a long line of absences for Umtiti over the last couple of years.

Umtiti injury record since 2018 World Cup

His career has been ravaged by injuries of the past few seasons, meaning that Barcelona ultimately sought to replace him as a left-sided central defender with Sevilla’s Clement Lenglet.

There are a few factors to consider when assessing whether a move to Everton could actually materialise for Umtiti.

At the moment, Barcelona currently have no fit central defenders after Lenglet limped off against Osasuna at the weekend. Gerard Pique is out for months, Ronald Araujo has coronavirus and has barely played anyway, while Umtiti is, obviously, absent.

Barcelona B’s Oscar Mingueza is their only fit centre-back, and he only made his first-team debut this month.

With Pique out for for an extended period of time, especially, Barcelona will not be eager to lose another one of their central defenders, this time via a January transfer, as they quite simply need the bodies at the back.

However, the Blaugrana are currently in a dire financial situation currently, with revenues taking a hammering in the middle of the coronavirus crisis. If Everton come in with an acceptable bit, the economists at the club might just overrule any complaints about the playing squad to take the money and balance the books.

The Everton side of things

At the moment, Carlo Ancelotti currently has Yerry Mina, Michael Keane, Ben Godfrey, and Mason Holgate as his senior centre-backs.

Godfrey was signed only a short time ago for a fee of around £20m [€22m].

In terms of a foursome, that is probably one of the strongest in the Premier League, and although a fit and ready Umtiti would be an upgrade, his recent injury record will certainly be of concern to Ancelotti.

Mina is enjoying one of his best runs of form since signing with the club, while the England trio of Keane, Holgate, and, especially Godfrey, are well thought of at Goodison Park.

This one may come down to the transfer fee. Barcelona desperately need the money which puts Everton in the driving seat.

But, they will not be eager to pay over the odds for a player who has missed so much football recently which they have four centre-backs at the club already capable of playing in the first team.