Arsenal & Manchester United battle over Barcelona duo Rakitic & Umtiti

Barcelona will be reportedly open to selling the players over the January transfer window.

Arsenal and Manchester United are on alert over the possible availability of Barcelona players Ivan Rakitic and Samuel Umtiti.

None of the duo were included in the starting XI for Barcelona’s opening Champions League game of the season – a 0-0 draw away to Borussia Dortmund.

Ivan Rakitic has been pushed down the pecking order by the arrival of Frenkie de Jong from Ajax, while Umtiti is no longer first choice, with manager Ernesto Valverde preferring the pairing of Clement Lenglet and Gerard Pique.

According to Marca, Barcelona do not plan to make any January additions but will listen to offers for the players. Valverde recognizes that his squad – especially the midfield, where there are seven players competing for three spots – is too bloated. Reports have suggested that Barcelona chiefs were willing to include the aforementioned trio as part of a players-plus-cash deal in order to bring about a return to Catalonia for Neymar.

The Croatian and the Frenchman would both have been allowed to leave in the summer if the Catalan’s valuations were met. Both Arsenal and Manchester United expressed interest in the players in the summer transfer window and could now go back in for them, according to the Mail.

Rakitic, whose deal runs out in 2021, has made three substitute appearances for Ernesto Valverde’s side in all competitions and despite being a key member of the squad over the past few seasons, there is a real sense of impending doom for the midfielder as he appears to be being phased out.

World Cup-winning defender Umtiti is currently sidelined with a foot injury and is yet to feature for Barca this season. He is approaching his prime, and with the lack of central defenders in modern football, Arsenal may be the perfect fit for him.

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