5 potential replacements for Samuel Umtiti if he leaves Barcelona

Samuel Umtiti has been one of the best defenders in Europe this season and has alongside Gerard Pique, formed a centre-back pairing that has seen the Blaugrana lose just once all season.

Given how well the French international has performed since his £25 million move from Olympique Lyon two seasons ago, Cules will have been alarmed about the barrage of reports about stalled contract renewal negotiations between the player's agent & the club's board.

With Umiti's buyout clause said to be a rather miserly €60m, the vultures have become to circle and it has been reported that Manchester United are ready to activate his buyout clause and treble his wages.

The Barca board will not want a repeat of the Neymar saga where they had to scramble for replacements and overpaid for both Ousmane Dembele and Phillipe Coutinho.

Here is a list of 5 potential replacements that the club might take a look at:

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#5 Yeray Álvarez (Athletic Bilbao)

Yeray is a battle-hardened survivor and could form a good partnership with Pique

One of the most highly thought-of centre-backs in Spanish football, the Basque player would be an ideal replacement if Umtiti leaves.

The 23-year-old's development has been held back by two unfortunate bouts of testicular cancer but has overcome this illness and is slowly on his way back to becoming the defender that fans of Los Leones (The Lions as Athletic Bilbao is called by its fans) and pundits have been whispering.

Many have been impressed by Yeray’s composure, positioning, and effective distribution and for a Spanish defender, his aggression in the tackle.

It is unclear what his buyout clause is as he has a contract at San Mames till 2022 and given his family and personal ties to the club especially when seen from the angle of how they stood by him during his illness/treatments, it is doubtful if he can be persuaded to make the move from the Basque country to Catalunya.

Barca would be remiss not to try though as he is a quality defender who already knows the league and understands the system that Barca manager; Valverde like to play.

#4 Caglar Soyuncu (SC Freiburg)

The young Turk would be a rather expensive buy with a huge potential upside

Not the most popular of names out there, the young Turkish international has been growing steadily since he joined Freiburg in 2016 but is now firmly in the headlights of leading European clubs.

A deceptively strong player, he is rather rash and can be impetuous but has gotten better this season and is well on his way to becoming the genuine article.

A tall defender, Soyuncu is good in the air and has a good leap which helps in coping with aerial challenges.

His pace over short distances is said to be his best strength as this allow him to have excellent recovery capabilities. He is also very comfortable when in possession and can pass the ball out from the back as well.

Various English sides have been linked to the 22-year-old including Arsenal and it is said that he could cost as much as £30m for interested buyers.

Blaugrana president Josep Bartomeu will need to move quickly if he is to get the youngster to don the colours of Barca.

#3 Malang Sarr (OGC Nice)

Basically Umtiti 2.0, Sarr has the look of a future great

Another young French defender, Sarr might just be the player to displace Umtiti at both club and national team level

The left-footed 19-year-old was a colossus at the back for the French Riviera outfit as they surprised everyone by finishing third in Ligue 1 last season.

A tough, tackling, great in the air defender who takes no nonsense and is aggressive in his tackling as well as in his marking, the captain of the French U-20 national side plays in almost the exact same way as the man he could be replacing; Umtiti and the transition, if he is signed up, could be seamless.

The Blaugrana have been said to have been keeping an eye on him for a while and may be forced to scale up their interest if another interested party chooses to trigger Umtiti's buyout clause.

Alongside his Nice team, Sarr has struggled a bit for form this season after last season's high but has gradually gotten back into his best form as the season draws closer to an end.

His physicality and willingness to learn would be a perfect foil for Pique's more cultured style.

#2 Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen)

Tah has been scouted by Barcelona before and would be a great signing

The towering centre-back seems to have been around forever but aged just 22, he has taken his time to grow away from the spotlight and could now be set for a move to one of Europe's leading teams.

Deceptively calm for someone who is 6'4 in height, he has been praised by many people for his assertiveness; speed and clear thinking that help him make good decisions even in the face of approaching danger.

He has been hailed in the German press as the natural successor to Bayern Munich’s Jerome Boateng and given the brilliance of the Bayern star, Tah certainly has a long way to go.

Like most of his fellow Bayer 04 starlets, clubs across Europe have been looking the way of the towering star and despite recently signing a new 5-year deal to stay put at the Bay Arena, it is said that some big hitters have already sent out feelers about him

His rugged nature and excellent positioning coupled with his height and aerial ability mean that Barcelona could become less susceptible to conceding from corners with him in the side.

#1 Lucas Hernandez (Atletico Madrid)

Hernandez will be by far the best replacement if Umtiti decides to move away from the Camp Nou

Intelligent, aggressive, possessing a cultured left foot and an improving understanding of the game, Lucas is a firm favourite of Atleti coach Diego “Cholo” Simeone and the sky seems to be the limit for what this young Frenchman can achieve.

His ability to also function effectively on the left side of the defence will be a boon for manager Ernesto Valverde as it means an extra option in case of injuries. His abilities also mean that if signed, Barca can comfortably deploy a back-three thereby allowing the full-backs to push on and overload the opposition in their own half.

He has featured mostly as a left-back for Atletico this season as Jose Gimenez and Stefan Savic have been chosen to partner and might have to play the same role if he is to make the French squad to the World Cup (he made his debut against Russia in a recent friendly).

It is unclear how much the move will cost the Catalans but if Umtiti leaves, Barca will be hard pressed to get a better replacement.