Barcelona Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Gabriel Jesus and Samuel Umtiti

Barcelona have reportedly stepped up their efforts to sign Palmeiras prodigy Gabriel Jesus having learned a clutch of Europe’s top clubs are interested in the player.

That’s according to Joaquim Piera of Sport, who has reported that as soon as Barcelona became aware Juventus were looking to open talks with the player “they acted quickly to block the negotiations.”

Piera added there is “real interest” from the Blaugrana in the 19-year-old Brazilian, who has been linked with Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain too.

It’s suggested a deal for Jesus would cost around €20 million and is part of a “new strategy” from Barcelona, one that will see them target the best young players from South America. Here is a look at why there is a lot of hype surrounding the aforementioned prospect:

It’s the kind of deal that’d make sense for the Liga winners. Jesus is looking like a player ready to make the step up to a higher standard, and he could be slowly integrated into the setup as a deputy for the likes of Neymar, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi.

Jesus evidently has the talents to thrive at the Camp Nou too. Fox Sports’ Keith Costigan tipped the forward to be a star when watching him in late 2015:

The Palmeiras man is electric with the ball at his feet, able to glide past markers with his superb balance, turn of pace and range of skills.

Piera stated in his article that the youngster is the highest-rated player to come out of Brazil since Neymar and for a developing footballer such as Jesus, playing alongside his national-team captain would surely be a huge draw.

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With a lot of parties interested in signing the forward, competition will be tough to secure the player. But there’s plenty in Barcelona’s favour to suggest they could get this one done.

Samuel Umtiti Agreement Reported

According to Le Dauphine Libere (h/t Sport) Barcelona have struck an agreement with Samuel Umtiti to bring the defender to the club.

A deal between the player and the Camp Nou outfit was reportedly signed on Friday, with Barcelona now needing to speak with Lyon in order to get the transfer finalised. The value of the move is suggested to be around the €30 million mark.

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After the departure of Marc Bartra, the defensive positions were always an area that manager Luis Enrique was going to look at. Here is why Umtiti could help refresh the Blaugrana in this area of the field:

A young, dynamic presence is certainly something that Barcelona need to add at the base of the team. Gerard Pique and Javier Mascherano make for a fine partnership, but the latter is beginning to approach the twilight of his career; replicating his intensity is not something either Jeremy Mathieu or Thomas Vermaelen are capable of.

Umtiti has shown signs that he could do so. As these numbers from WhoScored.com illustrate, he is a very capable reader of the game like Mascherano:

Being left-sided he would also bring a desirable balance to the centre-back spots, while Umtiti has also shown in his career that he’s capable of slotting in at left-back if needed.

Regardless of where he plays, the 22-year-old is strong, intelligent and composed in his defending, traits that would have stood out to Enrique.

Umtiti may find minutes difficult to come by initially at the Camp Nou, but he certainly has the potential to be a long-term successor to Mascherano. Like the Argentina man, his forceful tackling and class on the ball would make him a big hit with the club’s supporters.