Barcelona Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Samuel Umtiti and Ferran Torres

Barcelona are reportedly set to offer Samuel Umtiti a new contract in response to interest from English teams, while the club are also said to be keen on Valencia winger Ferran Torres. 

The club plan to extend Umtiti's deal by one or two years, hand him a pay rise and increase his release clause to €180 million, according to Sport.

The France defender had attracted interest from Manchester United, who are keen to partner him with Eric Bailly in heart of their defence, per Alex Richards at the Mirror. 

Umtiti has impressed alongside Gerard Pique since arriving from Lyon in 2016, and his release clause of €60 million makes him an attractive prospect.

Football writer Sid Lowe had a concise but effective description of the 23-year-old:

Umtiti has been part of a mean Barcelona defence this season, which has conceded just four goals in 11 games in La Liga.

Barcelona's official Twitter account highlights what a key player Umtiti is:

Umtiti's commanding performances for Barcelona make it little surprise he has attracted interest from other clubs, and it looks a good decision to offer improved terms and more importantly increase his release clause.

Barcelona have also watched Torres in action for Valencia Mestalla, the club's reserve team, against Hercules on Saturday, according to Superdeporte (h/t Sport).

However, Valencia are determined to retain the 17-year-old and are planning to give him a first-team contract with a €25 million release clause.

Torres was part of the Spain side that finished runners-up to England at the recent FIFA Under-17 World Cup. The midfielder made seven appearances for Spain in the tournament, scoring twice, per FIFA.

Having returned from the tournament in India, the teenager is now training with the Valencia first team, as noted by football writer Simon Harrison:

Spanish football journalist David Cartlidge feels that Torres is a top prospect:

Marcelino's side are enjoying a superb season, currently second in La Liga, behind Barcelona after 11 games and will surely want to keep hold of Torres, who looks to have an exciting future ahead of him.