Unai Emery is scouting for defensive reinforcements this summer.
Arsenal missed out on Champions League football again, finishing fifth in the table and losing the Europa League final to London rivals Chelsea.
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Therefore head coach Emery will have a limited transfer budget with which to work – a figure just about £45million.
Some defenders have been linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium this summer, some expensive options and some cheaper alternatives.
Barcelona man Samuel Umtiti falls into the former category and would be viewed as something of a marquee signing.
The 25-year-old has been with the Catalan giants since 2016 but had a season thwarted by injury last time out.
There has been much speculation over his future, although he has indicated that he would like to stay at the Camp Nou.
Speaking in an interview with RTL France he said: “I have a contract, I feel happy in Barcelona. I had a complicated season, but I will still be at Barcelona next season.”
And the CIES Football Observatory conclude Umtiti would cost Arsenal much more than their transfer budget if they wanted to sign him this summer.
They value Umtiti at €70.1million which works out at around £62.5million.
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Umtiti is rated as the 63rd most valuable player in all of Europe's top five leagues, with Kylian Mbappe the most valuable at a monstrous €252million.
This article was most recently revised and updated 4 years ago
